Ash's Story
by Lu Lu-Chan25
Summary: Ash set's off on his journey at 14, compliments of new Pokemon League rules. With greater knowledge and better self-control, Ash is ready to head out on a journey of adventure, excitement, tragedy, and romance. Is he ready for it? Angry/Jealous Gary with believable development, Furthershipping
1. Kanto: Prequel

**Chapter 1**

 **What goes on, everybody?**

 **I had this idea rolling around in my head for a while, and I finally decided to write a Pokemon fic. This is my first Pokemon fic, but I have been playing Pokemon for 17 years, as well as watching the anime. (I've watched all of the Indigo League, Orange Islands, Johto Journeys, and the Hoenn League. I watched Daimond and Pearl off an on, Black and White off and on, and I've watched all of Pokemon XY that's on netflix) So I'm pretty savvy in Pokemon, or so I like to think.**

 **This story is going to be my interpretation of Ash's Pokemon journey. Ash will be catching more than the ones he caught in canon. He will catch rare Pokemon, but it won't be a common thing. It's going to be one, maybe two rare Pokemon per region. The other Pokemon are going to be common to uncommon, but still encounterable.**

 **So, please enjoy _Ash's Story_. **

**Special thanks to my beta, Chibiusa. She's also a Pokemon fanatic, so some of the things in this story will be her ideas.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Pallet Town. If one was asked to describe the town, many would call it quiet, quaint, and homely. There was no hustle or bustle like many of the larger cities in Kanto. The roads weren't paved like the large cities either. Simple dirt roads, lined with cute little houses with white picket fences. At the end of the main road was the infamous Oak Research Laboratory.

The Oak Lab was the pinnacle of the town, resting on the largest hill in the small valley. Behind the lab was a large grassy plain that connected with a small forest. Pokemon of all different types, species, and from different regions peacefully resided; playing, training, and enjoying the quiet life in the quiet town.

Every summer, however, the quiet little town was brought to life with the annual Oak Summer Camp. Children from all over Kanto and other regions, attended the camp in hopes of learning and interacting with Pokemon. Professor Oak himself taught the children all there was to know about Pokemon.

As fate would have it, the annual Oak Summer Camp was scheduled to start today.

Ash Ketchum was a typical nine year-old boy: energetic, happy-go-lucky, kind hearted, and very passionate about Pokemon. He constantly talked about how he was going to grow up and go on a Pokemon Journey, just like his dad.

He sat at his kitchen table, shoveling the breakfast his mother made him into his mouth. He turned towards his mother, who was washing dishes in the kitchen sink. It was just him and his mom now. His dad was on his own journey, catching and training Pokemon from all over the world. He would call and check in every so often, and would come home for the holidays. But he could tell it was affecting his mom more than she let on.

Delia Ketchum was a kind and gentle woman, who loved her family more than anything else. Being a former Pokemon trainer, she was more than supportive of her husband's dream to travel and become stronger, as well as her son's similar dream. Deciding to follow her husband's footsteps, she followed her own dream and opened a small cafe in the quite town. Delia's talent for cooking and baking was an instant hit, and with the summer camp starting, her business was always much more busy with all the children in town.

"Ash, honey." Delia smiled, turning towards her son. "You need to get ready. It's almost time to go to Professor Oak's lab."

"Okay Mom. I'm done anyways." The boy smiled, taking his plate to the sink for his mom. "I'll be over to help you at the cafe once camp let's out for the day."

Delia smiled, kissing Ash on the forehead and scooting him along to get ready.

Ash ran up to his room to change for the day. He put on a white t-shirt with a red trim around the collar and end of the sleeves, and a pair of blue shorts. He put on some socks and his black sneakers and rushed back downstairs.

"Okay Mom! I'm heading out now." He said, approaching the woman.

Delia smiled and kissed her son's forehead again. "Have fun, Sweety. Remember to play nice with Gary." She reminded.

Ash groaned. "But he's such a jerk! Just because he's the Professor's grandson, he thinks he's the best thing ever." He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Delia giggled and placed a hand on Ash's messy hair. "I know, Honey. Just try and play nice, okay?"

Ash nodded and hugged his mom goodbye, running out the door.

Ash ran down the dirt path that lead to the laboratory, waving and greeting anyone that he passed. As he grew closer to the lab, he could see children being invited into the lab. He rushed to the front door and walked inside, greeting the assistant that was there.

"Hi Alena!" Ash beamed.

"Hello Ash. It's good to see you. You excited for camp this year?" She asked. Alena was one of Professor Oak's most dedicated assistants. She was tall and had bubblegum pink hair tied into a bun on top of her head. She wore a lab coat over her lavender blouse and charcoal gray pencil skirt. Alena was also a favorite of Ash and Gary. They consistently fought for her attention, wanting the beautiful woman to dote on them.

Ash blushed and nodded. "Yup! I'm so excited!"

Alena giggled and ruffled Ash's hair. "Good. Why don't you head out to the corral. Gary and some of the other children are already gathering out there."

Ash nodded again and bid farewell to the assistant, rushing outside. Once outside, he saw a bunch of children sitting together and chatting. As he scanned the children, one spiky haired boy caught his attention. He walked over to him and sat down.

"Hey Gary." Ash greeted politely.

"Well well, if it isn't Ashy-Boy." Gary snickered. "Here to learn all you can about Pokemon?" He said mockingly.

Ash growled and ignored Gary's statement. He saw a girl with long brown hair and brown eyes sitting next to Gary. She looked just as annoyed as he felt.

"Hey Leaf! I haven't seen you in a while." He greeted happily. Leaf was one of his best friends, along with Gary. All three of them had grown up in Pallet, playing and studying together. "How was Hoenn?"

Leaf smiled at Ash, happy to have someone who wasn't Gary, to talk to. "It was okay. There are so many beaches in Hoenn." She giggled. "Almost every town I went to was next to the ocean."

Ash nodded. "Awesome! Did you meet any cool Pokemon?" He asked, more interested in that aspect.

Gary leaned in closer as well, not wanting to miss the chance to hear about some cool Pokemon.

Leaf nodded, pulling out her Pokegear. "Yeah! One of the towns I went to had a day care, where I got to play with some of the Pokemon. Look!" She said handing Ash the Pokegear.

Ash pressed a few buttons and brought up a couple of pictures. There were a few Pokemon he recognized: Eevee, Pikachu, and Zigzagoon. But there were a few he didn't.

"What's this Pokemon?" He said showing the girl the picture. The Pokemon was a green, lizard looking Pokemon with a red, jagged stripe on it's belly.

"That's a Kecleon! They're kind of rare in Hoenn, apparently. That was one of the Daycare worker's Pokemon. He was so friendly! And he's really good at hide-and-seek." She giggled.

Gary blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? How's that? Could he turn invisible?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yes, actually." Leaf smirked.

Gary blushed slightly with anger and turned with a pout.

Leaf continued with her explanation, smiling at the two boys. "He's able to blend in with his surroundings. Well...except for his red stripe. That's how I always found him." She giggled again.

"What are these Pokemon?" Ash asked, trying to defuse the tension between Leaf and Gary.

Leaf looked over at the picture, Gary sneaking a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Oh!" Leaf beamed. "That's Swablu and Altaria! They're flying types, and Altaria seconds as a dragon type!" She gushed. "Their wings were so soft...like a cloud." She sighed contently.

"Woah...that's a dragon type? That's so cool! I'd love to have an Altaria one day!" Ash exclaimed, handing Leaf back her Pokegear.

"You want a lot of Pokemon, Ash." Leaf teased.

"Yeah! I want to catch 'em all!" He shouted, throwing his hands up in the air for emphasis.

Gary scoffed. "Like you could. You're a loser, Ashy-Boy! I bet you won't even make it to the Pokemon League your first year." Gary said, throwing Ash a cocky grin.

Ash growled and clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more than to tackle the spiky-haired jerk and rub his face in the dirt and force him to apologize. But he promised his mom he would _try_ and be nice.

Before Ash could throw Gary any sort of retort, he heard someone loudly clear his throat.

Ash, along with the rest of the children turned to the noise. Children gasped and awed at the older man standing before them.

"Hello everyone! And welcome to this years Summer Camp!" The professor greeted. "My name is Samuel Oak and I am the Pokemon Professor of the Kanto region, as well as your main camp counselor." He chuckled. "Who's ready to get started?"

All the children cheered, throwing their fists up to cheer.

"Now...before we get started, there is one thing I wanted to inform you children. I know some of you are ten years old, or will be turning ten this coming year." He said, looking at Pallet Town's three prodigy children: Ash, Gary, and Leaf. "Now...that means you'll be starting on your Pokemon journey, correct?"

Many of the children nodded.

"Well...as much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, the Pokemon League has upped the age limit to when a child can start their Pokemon journey."

"What?!" Gary shouted.

"That's not fair!" Ash chimed in. "They can't do that!"

Leaf didn't say anything, but she did look rather disappointed, as well as many of the other children who were getting ready to begin their journey.

"I understand you are all disappointed. I know it isn't an ideal situation, but it is what the League has decided." The older Professor sighed.

"Why did they decide this, Professor?" Leaf asked, raising her hand.

"A good question, Miss Green." Oak nodded. "There are several reasons, actually." He started. "One is...ten year-olds are not mature enough to handle being on their own at such a young age."

"That's not true!" Yelled one boy in group.

"Yeah! I'm way more mature than these losers!" Gary boasted, puffing his chest out in pride.

Oak narrowed his eyes at his grandson, who shrunk under the glare. Oak cleared his throat again, continuing his lecture. "Yes...well then, how many of you know how to set up a tent? Or know how to prepare your own food without the use of a stove or microwave? Who knows which berries are safe to eat for humans? What should you if you were to fall sick out in the wild?"

Oak scanned the large group of children, waiting for any one of them to answer. "As I said...you are not mature enough to handle to stress and challenges that are faced with traveling." He said firmly. "Secondly, the Pokemon world is a dangerous place. While many Pokemon are friendly and do not mind the presence of humans, there are some that will attack you without any given warning. Children and adults have been hurt and even killed because of rampaging Pokemon. And not just rampaging Pokemon. I've seen too many reports of missing children because they've gotten lost in the woods or caves. The League wants children to be more prepared before setting off on their journey." Oak lectured.

"So...do we have to wait until we're adults to go on a journey?" Ash asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

Oak chuckled and shook his head. "No Ash, my boy. The League has decided that children are able to start their journey at the age of 14. They believe that is enough time for children to learn how to care for themselves when out in the wild."

Ash, along with the other attendees sighed in relief.

"Now...usually my Summer Camp consists of fun and games, along with interacting with Pokemon. But this year, I've decided to do something different." Oak smirked when he saw the children lean forward, waiting for him to speak again. "I've decided this Summer that I, along with several of my assistants, will begin to prepare you for your journeys."

Children gasped, and others began to smile.

"What will you teach us, Professor?!" One girl exclaimed loudly.

"Will we not interact with the Pokemon?" Another girl asked quietly.

"Now now." Oak said, trying to settle some of the children. "We will still have a lot of fun doing scavenger hunts, and interacting with Pokemon. I've come up with a schedule that will allow us to do all sorts of things. In the morning, I will be teaching you what you need to know as a trainer: camping, cooking, map reading, and other lessons that will help you on your journey." He nodded. "Then in the afternoon, we will be interacting with the Pokemon here at the ranch, some arts and crafts, as well as games."

"So basically...it's school in the morning, and play time in the afternoon." Gary scoffed. "I didn't come to camp to go to school." He sighed. He grunted in pain when he felt a sharp elbow meet his ribcage.

Leaf frowned at Gary. "Stop it." She said firmly. "You're being mean."

Gary's eyes widened slightly, turning from Leaf with a huff. He frowned up at his grampa, expecting some sort of punishment, but the old man just sighed.

"Alright children." Oak said, clapping his hands. "There are several stations set up where we will begin the morning lessons. Everyone is to form an orderly line by Miss Alena," He said, motioning towards his pink-haired assistant. "And she will give you a color. There are four colors. Everyone will get into your groups based on the color you receive, and you will pick a Pokemon based on that color. That will be your group name, and your teams for the rest of camp." Oak said with a nod. "Alright everyone. Line up and we'll get started."

Everyone lined up in front of Alena, Gary pushing his way to the front. People rolled their eyes at his antics, used to his 'holier than thou' complex.

When it was Ash's turn, he blushed and smiled brightly when he stood in front of Alena. "Hi Alena! What color am I getting?" He asked, holding out his hand.

"You have yellow, Mister Ketchum." She smiled. "They're meeting over there." She said pointing to the group.

Ash looked over and groaned. Gary was in group yellow...

"Sorry Ash. It wasn't on purpose." Alena said with a sympathetic smile.

"It's okay Alena." He smiled and walked over to his group.

"Look who it is! It's Ashy-Boy! I see you're lucky enough to be on my team." Gary said proudly.

"Yeah, whatever." Ash grumbled. He stood with the rest of his group. He watched Leaf get her card and head towards a different group. He sighed in defeat; looks like he was dealing with Gary alone, then.

Once the groups were sorted, the group decided on the team name, Team Abra, and went to the first lesson station: camping and cooking.

One of Oak's assistants, Richard, taught the group. He explained how to set up a campsite, and how to pitch a tent, which he made every child attempt. Of course, no one got it on the first try; Gary boasted how his attempt was best.

After everyone attempted to pitch the tent, the assistant had several piles of wood set up.

"Alright children. Now...We're also going to learn how to set up a campfire."

"Feh! I don't need to know that if I have Charmander as my starter." Gary said with a flick of his hand.

"True," the assistant smirked. "But what if you don't get Charmander? Or any of the fire starters of your region? What if you don't catch a fire type at all? How will you build a fire then?" Richard was well adept in putting Gary in his place. He saw Gary pout and look away, something the boy did when he was proven wrong.

"As I said," He said kneeling down beside a pile of wood. "Something you should always carry is a flint and steel. It's a little old school, but they're more reliable than matches." The man stated, pulling out the flint and steel from his lab coat pocket.

Richard explained how to use the items, and showed them by starting a campfire with the flint and steel. "You won't be using these today. But I want you to know that these are very valuable in a trainers reservoir."

As Richard finished his sentence, a whistle blew, signaling changing of the stations. The yellow group went to their next station, which was cooking. The lesson on cooking wasn't even how to cook, more along the lines of what valuable cooking tools someone should bring when they leave on their journey: a small camping stove, a small pot, and a set of cutlery. There was also talk about what kind of foods would be beneficial to bring for the journey: such as dehydrated foods like jerky or instant soups and stews, trail mix, and the all important water. The assistant also started on which berries were safe to eat out in the wild.

The next station was with Alena, and she went over Pokemon care. She explained Pokemon need grooming, whether it could be baths, haircuts, brushing, massages, and sometimes special oils and lotions for Pokemon. She also started explaining the dietary needs of Pokemon. While all Pokemon were omnivores, some needed more meat than berries or plants.

The final station was with Professor Oak, and he went over the behavior and habitats of Pokemon in the Kanto region. He started with the three starter Pokemon of the region, explaining each habitat in detail and their behaviors thoroughly.

By the end of the last station, it was time for lunch. The assistants all handed out bagged lunches to the children, consisting of sandwiches, some kind of fruit, carrot or celery sticks, and a juice box.

Ash got his lunch and found Leaf sitting by herself, under one of the trees on the ranch. Ash smiled and sat down next to his friend, reaching into his lunch bag.

"Hey Leaf."

"Hi Ash." She smiled. "How were your stations?" She asked, taking a bite of an apple.

"It was okay, I guess." the raven-haired boy shrugged. "Gary was bragging about how he was the best camper, and how he could set the tent up the best." He said in his best Gary voice.

Leaf laughed at Ash's impression, giving him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Ash."

"It's okay, Leaf. I mean...I know Gary's gone camping with Professor Oak before, so I can understand why he thinks he knows about how to camp." Ash shrugged, taking a bite out of his peanut butter sandwich. "But I think the worst was when Professor Oak was telling us about Pokemon habitats and behaviors. He wasn't listening to his grandpa and just...didn't seem to care. I mean...that was the coolest thing we learned today!" He exclaimed.

Leaf nodded her head. "I know! I was so cool! I want to see every Pokemon there is!"

Ash and Leaf continued their conversation as they ate their lunch.

Once lunch was over, it was time for fun. The children were able to choose any station they wanted today. They were given the choice of arts and crafts, board games, or playing on the play structure that was on the ranch (which was usually used for the younger Pokemon to play on).

Ash and Leaf went to play on the structure, with a lot of the other children. The two switched stations several times, doing some arts and crafts, and they played a few board games with some of the other kids. They even tried to get Gary to play a game of Candyland with them, but Gary claimed the game was for babies and went and did his own thing.

By 4 pm, Oak had dismissed the children for the day. Several children, including Ash, Leaf, and Gary bid the professor goodbye and went home. The other children were staying at the Professor's lab in smaller living quarters that was built for these summer camps and live-in interns.

Ash walked with Leaf and Gary back towards town. Gary was rambling on about how his team was the best team there was. Ash and Leaf tuned him out, walking in silence. When the trio finally reached town, Leaf was the first to leave.

"Bye guys! I'll see you tomorrow." She waved, running towards her house.

"Bye Leaf!"Ash waved with a smile.

Gary gave a small wave without saying anything. He turned towards Ash with a smirk. "Well, what are you going to do now, Ashy-Boy?"

Ash shrugged. "I have to go to the cafe. Mom might need help closing it up for the day."

"Aaw! That's so cute." Gary said, grabbing hold of one of Ash's cheeks. "Going to help your mommy."

Ash growled and shoved Gary.

Gary stumbled backwards, falling onto his but. He looked up at Ash, with a mix of shock and anger. "What the heck, Ash?! Why'd you push me?!"

Ash clenched his fists, his body shaking. "Because you're being a jerk!" Ash screamed. Tears started to well up in the raven-haired boy's eyes. "You've been one of my best friends since forever and you do nothing but be mean to me and Leaf, and make fun of us! That's not what friend's do!"

Gary sat there on the ground, staring at the boy with wide eyes.

"Wh-What'd we do to make you be so mean to us, huh?! What'd we do...?" He said, using his arm to cover his eyes. Tears could be seen cascading down his cheeks, dripping off the ends of his chin.

Gary slowly stood up and stared at his friend, listening to the boy's crying. After what seemed like an eternity, Gary finally let out a sigh.

"Nothing. You didn't do anything..." He said softly, turning and walking away from Ash.

Ash watched his friend leave, sniffling to himself. He wiped away the remaining tears and walked to his mom's cafe.

When he reached the cafe, he walked inside and saw his mother wipe down one of the tables.

"H-Hi Mom." He said softly.

"Ash, Sweety! How was your first day of Summer Camp?" Delia asked, straightening up.

"Oh...it was good." He said, forcing a smile. He immediately started helping his mother, grabbing chairs and stacking them on the table.

Delia eyed her son for a moment, but returned to cleaning off the tables. "What'd you do today, Sweetheart?"

"Hmm...well, Professor Oak told everyone that we can't start our journey next year." He complained with a pout. "He said the Pokemon League thought being ten means we're too young..."

Delia silently sighed in relief. While she wanted her son to live out his dream, she wasn't comfortable with him going out into the world at ten years-old! She turned to her son, with a soft gaze. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. I know it's hard to wait, but you'll be able to travel soon."

Ash sighed. "Yeah...I know. Professor Oak is teaching us things we need to know on our journey like cooking, camping, and Pokemon care!" He exclaimed.

Delia thought a moment, moving away from the small tables. "Really?" She asked with a bright smile. "I think I know what you can do, Ash."

Ash, who had just finished putting up a chair, turned to his mother.

Delia smiled, putting a hand on her hip. "How about you ask Professor Oak if you can study at the lab, even after the summer camp."

Ash's eyes widened, his face contorting into a hopeful smile. "Do you think he'll let me?"

Delia chuckled. "Of course. Now, come on. Let's finish up so I can make you some dinner."

Ash cheered and quickly finished his work. He couldn't wait to get some of his mom's cooking.

.

.

The next day, Ash went to Oak's lab earlier than usual. He was so excited to talk to the Professor, that he'd skipped breakfast. He ran up the dirt path to the lab, where he knocked on the door when he arrived.

He smiled brightly when he saw Alena open the door, though she looked a little worse for wear.

He blinked, cocking his head to the side, looking oddly like a confused growlithe. "Alena? What's wrong?"

Alena gave the boy a tired smile and ruffled his hair. "Hello, Ash. The Professor kept us up late with some special research. Nothing a strong cup of coffee won't fix." She chuckled with a yawn.

"Oh...sorry you had to stay up late. Can I see Professor Oak? I have to ask him something." He asked, bouncing on his toes.

Alena nodded, moving aside. "Go ahead, Ash. He's in the kitchen."

Ash smiled and thanked Alena, rushing towards the kitchen. Once he reached the kitchen, he saw the Professor pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Professor Oak!" Ashe greeted, walking up to the older man.

Samuel turned around, surprised by the boy's presence. "Ash, my boy! Why are you so early?" He asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I wanted to ask you a question, Professor!" Ash exclaimed excitedly, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"And you couldn't wait to ask me when camp started?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope!"

The older Professor chuckled, sipping his coffee again. "Alright, my boy. Ask away."

Ash nodded, getting a look of determination on his face. "I wanted to know, Professor, if...if after camp is over, if maybe...I can keep coming back? You know, to study more about Pokemon."

Samuel's eyes widened, staring at the raven haired-boy with bewilderment. His look of shock turned to one of pure joy. "Why Ash, I'd be delighted for you to continue studying here at the lab." He said, placing his hand on top of Ash's head, affectionately.

Ash smiled brightly, and began to jump up and down with excitement. "Yes! Thank you Professor Oak! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Samuel chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. "Of course, my boy. Now, how about we enjoy a little breakfast before we start our day?" He said holding up a box of cereal.

.

.

The rest of the summer camp went the same as it did the first day: lessons in the morning, Gary bragging that he was the best and smartest, lunch, fun and games, more of Gary claiming to be Arceus's gift to the world, and repeat.

Ash hadn't really talked to Gary after their fight. He tried to talk to him again, wanting to apologize for pushing him, but Gary ignored him; even during scavenger hunts and team oriented games.

Leaf received similar treatment from the young Oak boy; he gave her the cold shoulder whenever she was around.

The more Gary pushed his friends, the closer they grew with each other. Ash and Leaf hung out whenever they had a spare moment.

When the summer camp ended that summer, Ash immediately started studying with the Professor. Samuel started Ash with simple lessons, similar to the ones during camp. Ash was so eager to learn, that he soaked up the information like a sponge.

Soon, the Professor was bringing him into the main part of the lab, where he was doing some basic research with his assistance. Samuel gave him books to read, to help him further his education. It surprised Samuel, how quickly Ash read and retained the information. No matter what he gave to the boy to learn, he read, studied, and locked it away in his brain by the end of the week. As the years went on, Ash's studies intensified, and he even went out into the field with the Professor.

Gary found out about Ash studying with his grandpa not long after the boy started his studying. It made the youngest Oak seethe with anger. He had asked his grandpa before if he could study with him, but was told that he was too young to be in the lab, that he would be in the way. Why was Ash so special?

For four years Ash continued to attend lessons at the laboratory, gaining valuable information. Four years Ash's friendship with Leaf grew, as his friendship with Gary dwindled.

Ash sat on his bed at home, cross-legged with a book in his lap. He casually flipped a page over in his book, and heard a knock on the door. He looked up, closing his book. "It's open."

Delia Ketchum walked into her son's room with a smile. "Ash, honey. It's nearly ten o'clock. You should be getting ready for bed. You have a big day tomorrow."

Ash smiled and placed his book on his bedside table. "Sorry, Mom. I was trying to get some last minute studying in."

Delia chuckled. She looked at her son with pride. Ash had grown into a handsome fourteen year old boy. His hair didn't change much; it was still a black, shaggy mess, no matter what she did to it. He still had his healthy tan, as well as the small lightning bolt shaped birthmarks under his gray eyes. While it was hard to tell with him sitting on the bed, Ash had started his growth spurt; reaching a respectable 5' 6". The years studying with Professor Oak had also done wonders for him mentally. He not only learned about how to be a trainer, but also learned invaluable information on Pokemon: habitats, natures, personalities, eating habits, breeding cycles, and much more. He also learned to control himself: while he was a loud and energetic child by nature, having to keep calm and quite in the lab taught him patience and humility.

"You know, Sweetheart. I just wanted to tell you...that I'm so proud of you." She said wiping away a stray tear that threatened to fall.

"Aw Mom...don't cry." Ash said, getting out of bed. "You promised you wouldn't cry." He chuckled.

"I know, I know. It's just...my little boy is all grown up." She sniffled, hugging her son.

"Mom..." He laughed again, hugging his mom back.

"I'm so proud of you, Ash. And I know your father would be proud too." Delia nodded.

Ash sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah...I just wish he could be here to see me off. I mean...it's not every day I start my first Pokemon Journey."

"I know, Sweetie. But...maybe this will cheer you up." Delia reached outside Ash's bedroom door, pulling out a package.

Ash blinked, taking the package. "Dad sent a gift? What for?" He said, inspecting the package.

"He feels bad he couldn't make it to see you off. So he sent this, hoping it would make up for it." She said with a soft smile.

Ash shrugged, opening up the package. "Woah!" Ash exclaimed, yanking out the contents. "No way! It's a Pokemon League official hat! I tried to win one of these like...5 years ago!" He said with excitement.

Delia chuckled. "I remember that. You must have sent in a million postcards for that hat." She teased.

"Yeah, no kidding. And to think I didn't win it after all those postcards." Ash laughed. He put it on his head and smiled. "How does it look?"

"It's perfect, Ash. Now...off to bed. Tomorrow you start your day as an official Pokemon Trainer." Delia said proudly.

Ash nodded, taking his hat off and putting it on his bedside table. "Thanks Mom." He said kissing her cheek. "Goodnight."

"Good night, Sweetie." She said, kissing his forehead. She left his room, closing the door behind her.

Ash immediately changed out of his casual clothes and into his pajamas. After setting his alarm clock and double-checking his travel pack, he turned off his bedroom light and climbed into bed.

He stared up at his ceiling, excited for what the next day would bring.

 _'This is it. When I wake up tomorrow...I'll finally be a Pokemon Trainer.'_ Ash smirked, determination filling him. He took a deep breath, rolling onto his side. He slowly let his breath out and closed his eyes. After several minutes, he was asleep.

 **~End Chapter**

 **So? What did you guys think? I thought that this turned out pretty well.**

 **Just an FYI, I don't plan to follow canon completely. I might change up the traveling companions, but that's still up in the air. Now here's the thing. Pretend everything that happened in canon: Team Rocket, Misty, Brock, etc. all happens four years later, okay?**

 **Please review! Thanks guys!**

 **~Lu Lu-Chan25**


	2. Kanto 1

**Chapter 2**

 **Hey guys! How's it goin'? I hope you all liked my last chapter! I thought it was a good way to start things off. Here's the second chapter, which is up a lot sooner than I had imagined. Just an FYI, I will post these chapters as quickly as possible. I like to write when I have inspiration and this Pokemon story hit me like a ton of bricks. So be prepared for several more updates in the next month.**

 **After that, however, things might slow down. I have two other fics I'm writing, and I don't plan on giving those up. I also go to school and work full time. Just giving up a heads up.**

 **I would like the thank my beta, Chibiusa!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

Light filtered through the curtains that hung from Ash's bedroom window. A soft groan emitted from underneath the light blue comforter. The groan got louder as an alarm echoed through the bedroom. Ash sat up in his bed, looking bleary-eyed. His hair was sticking up in many different directions.

He looked at his alarm, seeing it was already 7:31. Ash turned off his alarm, and stretched. He got out of bed and got dressed in a set of clothes his mother bought for him. He put on his brown jeans, and a black t-shirt. He grabbed a blue jacket hanging in his closet and put it on. He reached over by his bed-side table and put on his official League hat and smirked.

 _'I'm ready.'_ He thought confidently.

He walked downstairs and saw his mother in the kitchen. "Morning, Mom." He greeted warmly.

"Good Morning, Sweetheart. You excited to get your first Pokemon?" She asked, flipping some pancakes.

"Yup! I'm hoping I'll be able to get Charmander, but I'll be happy with whatever Pokemon I'll get." He smiled, grabbing himself a glass of orange juice.

Delia smiled and placed his breakfast on the table. "I'm proud of you, Ash. Now...eat up. Then you can go get your first Pokemon."

Ash smiled and sat down. He ate his breakfast, which consisted of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and his orange juice. He and his mother discussed where he was planning on heading first.

"Well...Viridian is only a half-a-day's walk from here. If I don't dawdle on Route 1, I should make it there by the afternoon." Ash smiled, taking on last swig of his juice. He sighed in content and smiled at him mom. "Alright, Mom. I'm going to head to Professor Oak's now. I'll stop by with my new Pokemon to say goodbye and pick up my pack."

Delia nodded, getting a little choked up. "A-Alright, Sweetie. I'll see you soon."

Ash smiled and hugged his mother. Once he pulled away, he put on his sneakers and left the house. He took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. He smiled and made his way towards the lab.

As he walked, he noticed Leaf leaving her house. He smiled and jogged up to her. "Hey, Leaf." He greeted.

Leaf turned to Ash and smiled. Leaf was dressed in a lavender tunic, dark wash jeans, and pink sneakers. She decided to forgo the hat she typically wore. "Hey, Ash! You excited?"

"You bet! What about you?" He asked, putting his hands in his jacket pocket.

Leaf nodded. "Yeah, but...I don't think I want to compete in the Kanto League..." Leaf said softly.

Ash raised an eyebrow, confused by her statement. "Really? You've always enjoyed watching Pokemon battles."

"Oh, I love battles. And I'm sure I will love battling when I get my Pokemon. But...I don't feel like it's what I should focus on. You and Gary always excelled when we had to do mock battles at the summer camps. But...I want to travel. I want to see and study Pokemon." She said brightly.

Ash nodded in understanding. "Do you think you'll be a researcher?"

"The thought's crossed my mind. I don't know what the focus of my study would be, though. That's why I want to travel and see Pokemon from all over the world." Leaf said with a nod.

Ash could tell she was passionate about her objective, and smiled at his friend. "I think that's awesome, Leaf. Do what you want to do. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Leaf blushed and nodded. "Thanks Ash."

The two walked in comfortable silence up to Oak's lab. When they arrived, Ash knocked on the door, and they were greeted by Alena.

"Hey Alena!" Ash and Leaf greeted.

Alena smiled at the two teens. "Hello Leaf. Ash. You excited for today?" Alena hadn't changed much in the four years since Ash started studying at the lab. The only difference about her was the rather beautiful, diamond ring on her left hand.

"Looks like Jacob finally popped the question, huh?" Leaf said with a waggle of her eyebrows.

Alena giggled as she let the two teens inside. "Yeah. He was so nervous when he asked me, I thought he was going to faint."

The three laughed together, as Alena lead them towards the back of the lab where the Professor was. Alena smiled and opened the door to the research room. "Here you go. Good luck."

The teens thanked the woman, walking inside. Once inside the room, they noticed Gary was already there, which didn't surprise them much. But what surprised them was another boy in the room.

"Ritchie?" Ash blinked.

The boy turned around and smiled. Richard Harrison, or Ritchie as he liked to be called, met Ash, Leaf, and Gary at Professor Oak's Summer Camp two years prior.

"Hey Ash! Hey Leaf! How's it goin'?" He greeted warmly. Ritchie was a 14 year-old with long red-auburn hair pulled back into a small ponytail, fringes of hair framing his face. He had on a button up coat-hoodie combo, with black jeans, and brown boots. He looked just as excited as Ash and Leaf felt.

"It's goin' good, Ritchie. I honestly wasn't expecting you to be here." Lead said, shocked by the boy's presence. "I thought you'd get your Pokemon in Saffron City."

Ritchie shook his head. "Nah. I always enjoyed the summer camps here, so I promised myself I'd start my journey from Pallet Town." He chuckled.

"Oh, shut up." Gary spat, annoyed with the trio's conversation. "Pallet Town's nothing special. Just a insignificant town, with insignificant people."

Everyone stared at Gary, baffled he would say something so heartless.

His attitude over the past four years hadn't improved, but his appearance did. He had shot up in height, and was slightly taller than Ash. He no longer wore a purple long-sleeve shirt and black pants. He changed to a black t-shirt, a light blue zip-up hoodie, light brown pants, and dark brown boots. His brown hair was still spiky, but it was slightly shorter and more manageable. His light brown eyes were cold and calculating, not playful and full of life like they used to.

"Gary...why would you say something like that?" Leaf asked quietly, concerned for her old friend.

"Why do you care?" He said with a shrug.

"Because we're your friends!" Ash yelled. "And your grandfather lives here! He loves you!"

Gary scoffed. "Sure. Whatever. I just want him to give me my Pokemon so I can leave this place." He said in a low voice, turning his back to the other three.

The three teens stared at Gary with anger and pity.

They all stood in awkward silence, waiting for Professor Oak to arrive. Five, long, tense minutes passed and the older Professor finally arrived carrying a tray of three Pokemon.

"Good morning, everyone." He greeted warmly.

"Good morning Professor." Ash, Leaf, and Ritchie greeted.

"Ritchie? I wasn't expecting you to be here today." He said with astonishment. He looked down at the Pokeballs and chuckled nervously. "Eheheh...it seems I only have three Pokemon with me right now."

"So...what does that mean?" Gary frowned.

"Well...I can round up and extra Pokemon from the corral. It won't be one of the typical starters." Oak said, rubbing his his chin thoughtfully.

"That sounds cool." Ash smiled. "I'll stay behind, Professor."

Oak smiled brightly. "Why thank you, Ash. How mature of you." He praised.

Gary scowled, narrowing his eyes at his rival.

Samuel turned to Gary, frowning at him. "Yes well...before I let you choose your Pokemon, I would like to give you all your Pokedexes."

Oak pulled out 4 pocket-sized encyclopedia. "It's a good thing I always have extra of these." He chuckled. "These are state-of-the-art Pokedexes. As you know, new Pokemon have been discovered from regions around the world. These Pokedexes are updated with information on Pokemon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos. I hope you put your Pokedex to good use." He said, handing each teen a Pokedex. Each one, even Gary, thanked the Pokemon Professor.

"Now, I believe we should get to choosing your Pokemon. Leaf...ladies first." Oak said, holding out the tray containing the Pokeballs.

Leaf smiled brightly and stepped forward. She reached out and took the Pokeball with an engraved green leaf on the front. She opened the Pokeball and a bright white light erupted from the small sphere.

"Bulba?" The green saurian looked around, taking in it's surroundings. It looked up, seeing Leaf kneeling before him.

"Hello there, Bulbasaur. My name's Leaf. I'm your new trainer." She greeted.

Bulbasaur smiled and took a step forward, nuzzling the girl's knee.

Leaf giggled, stroking the saurian's head. She stood up and took a few steps back, Bulbasaur sitting by her side.

Oak nodded and turned to Ritchie. "Alright Ritchie. You may choose next."

Gary scoffed and shook his head with disgust. "Of course..." He whispered with animosity.

Ritchie and Samuel ignored the young Oak boy, and turned their attention on the two Pokeball on the tray. Ritchie stepped forward and took the Pokeball with an orange flame engraved into it. He did the same as Leaf, and released his new Pokemon.

"Char!" The fire lizard cried.

"Heheh! Hey Charmander! My name's Ritchie and I'm a Pokemon trainer. You ready to take on the Pokemon League?" He said kneeling down, holding out his hand to the fire lizard.

The Charmander nodded and gave Ritchie a bright smile, shaking hands with his new trainer.

"Awesome! I'm gonna call you Zippo!" Ritchie said, picking up his new Pokemon.

"Char!" The small Charmander cried happily.

"Gary." Samuel said, turning to his grandson. "That leaves Squirtle to you." He said with a soft smile.

Gary stepped forward and took the Pokeball. "Thanks." He said callously. He clipped the Pokeball onto his belt and turned to leave.

"Gary?" Oak blinked. "You're not going to introduce yourself to your Pokemon?" He asked quietly.

Gary looked back out of the corner of his eyes and rolled his eyes. "Feh. I'll introduce myself to Squirtle when I'm away from this place." He said, walking out of the laboratory.

Samuel sighed, watching the boy leave in sadness. "That boy..."

Ash stepped forward, watching the Professor with concern. "You okay, Professor?"

"Yes, I'm okay. I just worry about him. He's been so different lately, and I can't figure out why." The Professor said with a shake of his head. He took a deep breath and looked back at Ash. "Alright Ash, my boy. Now...I can't give you a typical starter."

"I know, Professor. What do you have that you can give me?" Ash asked, adjusting his hat on his head.

"Well...we do have several Nidoran on the ranch." Oak suggested.

Ash shook his head. "Nah. Nidoran are cool, but I don't really wanna start with one. I'll probably catch one on my journey."

Oak nodded. "Well...there is a few Machop that had hatched a couple months ago. Maybe one of them?"

Ash thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "No thanks. I don't think a Machop would suit me." He shrugged.

Oak hummed, rubbing his chin in thought. "Wait...I have the perfect Pokemon." He said, quickly rushing towards a bookshelf with Pokeballs lining the shelves. After a few moments, Oak returned holding a Pokeball. "Here you are, Ash."

Ash blinked, looking at the Pokeball. He pressed the small button on the ball, opening it. A white light erupted from the ball, forming into a small, rodent-like shape. When the light died, the Pokemon looked up at Ash with a passive expression.

"Woah...it's a Pikachu." He awed, kneeling in front of the electric rodent. "Where'd you get one, Professor?" He asked, still looking at the Pikachu.

"I found him chewing on some wiring a couple of days ago. I caught him, and he wasn't too happy about it." Oak chuckled nervously.

Pikachu frowned at the older man, still sour about his recent capture.

Ash chuckled, slowly putting his hand out. "Hey there, Pikachu. My name's Ash. I'm going to be traveling around the Kanto region, and I would love to have you as my starter."

Pikachu turned back to Ash, his ears twitching at Ash's declaration.

"My dream is to become a Pokemon Master. I would like for you to help me fulfill that dream." The raven-haired boy smiled.

Pikachu blinked. The boy seemed genuine, and the thought of traveling appealed to the small Pokemon. Pikachu slowly stepped forward, sniffing Ash's palm. After several moments of inspecting the boy, Pikachu slowly rested his head in the boy's palm.

Ash smiled and gently stroked Pikachu's cheeks, making sure to keep the pressure gentle. "Great to have you on board, Pikachu." Ash stood up and went to return Pikachu, but the mouse shook his head vehemently.

"It appears Pikachu doesn't like his Pokeball." Oak chuckled.

Ash nodded and shrunk the Pokeball, clipping it to his belt. "Alright, then." Ash knelt back down, holding his hand out again. "Climb on up, Pikachu."

Pikachu stared at Ash in bewilderment. He wasn't going to force him back in the Pokeball? Pikachu ran onto of Ash's arm, resting on the boy's shoulder. He sighed in content, happy with his new trainer.

Oak smiled at the three before him. "Alright children. You are now officially trainers. Don't forget to register yourselves at the first Pokemon Center you reach."

"We won't Professor." Leaf nodded. "Thank you very much!"

The boys thanked the Professor as well, and the trio left the lab.

"Well guys," Ritchie said, moving ahead of Ash and Leaf. "I'm gonna go. Hopefully I'll see you guys again."

"For sure, Ritchie." Ash said, holding out his hand. Ritchie took it, and the boys shook hands. Leaf did the same thing, and bid Ritchie farewell.

"So Ash...where are you going first?" Leaf asked softly.

"Well...I'm gonna say goodbye to my Mom, and introduce her to Pikachu. Then I'll go through Route 1 into Viridian. If I make good time, there'll be enough daylight left to do some exploring on Route 22." He said thoughtfully, gently scratching behind Pikachu's ears.

"That sounds like a good idea. I want to make it all the way to Viridian Forest." Leaf nodded. "I want to get a good jump on you." She teased.

Ash smirked. "Yeah. You're gonna need it." He teased back. He reached over and pulled Leaf into a hug. "Take care of yourself, Leaf."

Leaf blushed, hugging Ash back. After a few moments, the two pulled away and Leaf walked with her Bulbasaur towards Route 1.

Ash watched Leaf leave for a few moments, then sighed.

"Pika?" Pikachu blinked, staring at his trainer.

"Hm? Oh...it's okay, Pikachu. It's just kinda sad to see friends leave." He said, stroking the top of Pikachu's head. He sighed again and headed home. "You'll love my mom, Pikachu. She's awesome." He said proudly.

"Pi?"

"Well...she's been taking care of my all my life. My dad left to go on a journey when I was two, so it's just been me and my mom. She used to be a Pokemon trainer too, you know. She'll love you. She loves all cute Pokemon." He laughed.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled.

"Yes, she'll think you're cute. She's also an awesome cook. I wouldn't be surprised if she packed us a lunch." He laughed. He walked up to his house, stepping inside of the white picket fence. He opened the door, softly closing it behind him.

"Mom? I back!" He called out.

Delia came downstairs, a red backpack in her hands. "Welcome back, Sweetie. Everything's ready to go." She said with a small sniffle. "Oh! A Pikachu!" She gushed. "What a darling Pokemon."

Pikachu blushed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Now Pikachu," Delia started, gently petting Pikachu's head. "Please watch over my Ash. Make sure he eats healthy, and changes his underwear everyday, and-"

"Mom!" Ash cried, his face turning a bright shade of red. "You don't have to worry, Mom. I'll be safe. I'll call you when I get to Viridian." He promised.

"Oh!" Delia exclaimed. "I almost forgot." She rushed over towards the kitchen, rustling through one of the drawers.

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Delia came back and handed Ash a small box with a bow on top.

"Mom...you didn't have to get me anything." He sighed, but smiled at his mother.

"I know, but...I think this will come in handy." She said with a tearful smile.

Ash took the bow off of the package, playfully putting on Pikachu's head. He laughed as Pikachu tried to take it off. He opened the box and gasped. "Woah...Mom. This...This is too much. I can't accept this." He said looking up at his mother with shock.

"Oh Sweetheart, don't say that." Delia commented, waving her son off.

Ash chuckled softly. He pulled out a red and silver device; it was the latest model of the Pokegear. He opened it, seeing it was already programmed with the house's number, the cafe's number, and Professor Oak's number. "Thanks Mom." He said, hugging the woman.

Delia smiled, hugging her son back. "I'll miss you." She cried.

"I'll miss you too, Mom. Hey...I'll catch you a couple of Pokemon to keep you company, okay? Maybe a few can help you around the cafe." He said, trying not to let a couple of tears fall.

Delia laughed. "Sounds wonderful, Sweetie. Take care of yourself, Ash."

Ash chuckled. "I will, Mom." He kissed his mom's cheek and took his pack. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Ash." She cried.

Ash smiled at his mother, and left the house. Once outside, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He stepped out of his mother's yard and onto the dirt path that lead to Route 1.

"You ready, Pikachu?" He said, looking at his new companion.

"Pikachu!" The electric-type cheered, pumping his fist for emphasis.

Ash chuckled. "Me too." The teen set out on the dirt road towards Route 1.

.

.

Route 1 was a rather boring excursion. Pikachu received some battling experience, taking on any rogue Pidgey or Rattata that came across their path. They reached Viridian City by the early afternoon, and decided to stop by the Pokemon Center.

It took Ash roughly 10 minutes to reach the large building. He walked in and saw the pink-haired nurse behind the front desk, working on something on her computer. Ash walked up with a smile. "Excuse me."

The woman turned from her computer and smiled. "Hello, and welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Center. My name is Nurse Joy. How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you could give Pikachu a check up. We had a couple of battles, and I just want to make sure he didn't take any serious damage." Ash explained, gently picking Pikachu off his shoulder, and placing him on the counter.

Joy smiled brightly. "Of course. If you could please return your Pikachu-" Joy stopped when she saw Pikachu shakes his head.

Ash chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, Nurse Joy. Pikachu doesn't like his Pokeball very much. Is there any way to do a check up without him being in his Pokeball?"

Joy chuckled, scratching behind Pikachu's ears. "Of course. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could get a room for the night?" Ash asked, adjusting his backpack.

"Of course." Nurse Joy ducked underneath the counter and handed Ash a room key. "Here you go. I'm going to take Pikachu to the back. It should only take a few minutes." She said, lifting Pikachu into her arms.

Ash nodded, and gave a little wave to his Pokemon. Ash tucked the room key into his pants pocket, and sat down on one of the lobby's couches. He looked up at the television that was mounted on the wall near the couches. The weather report was on, but Ash didn't pay much head to it. Deciding to call his mom, he walked over to the video phones. They were more convenient than his Pokegear. He dialed the house number, waiting for his mother to answer. When there was no answer, he decided to call the cafe.

 _/Thank you for calling Pallet Cafe. How can I help you?/_

"Hey, Mom." Ash greeted.

 _/Ash! Are you in Viridian already?/_

"Yup. Route 1 was pretty uneventful, so we got here pretty fast." Ash shrugged. "Pikachu's with Nurse Joy right now. So when he's done, we're probably going to head to Route 22." He smiled.

 _/Be careful, Sweetheart. There's supposed to be a storm rolling in tonight./_ Delia warned.

"I will. Thanks, Mom."

 _/No problem, Sweetheart. I better get back to work. Call me when you can, okay?/_

"Of course, Mom. Love you."

 _/I love you too, Ash. Bye./_

"Bye, Mom." He smiled and hung up. He stood up and heard a some sort of 'ding' echo through the lobby.

" _Ash Ketchum. Your Pokemon are ready for pick up. Please report to the front desk."_

Ash recognized Nurse Joy's voice, and walked to the front desk, where he saw Pikachu waiting for him.

"Hey, Pikachu. How do you feel, buddy?" Ash asked.

Pikachu smiled and leapt onto Ash's shoulder. "Pika!"

"Awesome." He chuckled, scratching under Pikachu's chin. He smiled when he heard Pikachu hum in appreciation. "Hey Nurse Joy. One more thing. Can you register me for the Pokemon League?"

"Of course. I just need your Pokedex." She explained.

Ash nodded and handed the woman his Pokedex. She put it in a slot in her computer, and started typing away. After a few moments, she pulled out the Pokedex and handed it back to Ash. "Here you go, Mr. Ketchum."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." He smiled. He put the Pokedex back into his back pocket and left the Pokemon Center.

"Alright, Pikachu." He said, looking at his companion when they stepped outside. "We're going to do some training."

"Pikachu!" He cried with determination.

Ash decided to take a quick detour to the PokeMart, where he bought some Pokeballs and a few potions. After paying for the items, clipping the free balls onto his belt, and putting the potions away, he started his trek to Route 22. Along the way, Ash decided to scan Pikachu with his Pokedex.

" _ **Pikachu: The Mouse Pokemon. When several of these Pokemon gather, their electricity can build and cause lightning storms. Gender: Male. Ability: Lightning Rod. Move Set: Thundershock, Tail Whip, Growl. This Pikachu has the Egg Moves Charge and Volt Tackle. These moves require extensive training before being attempted in battle."**_

Ash heard his Pokedex, or Dexter, read out the information on his companion and smirked. "Well Pikachu...I think I know what we're going to work on." He smirked.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded and with confident smile.

The duo walked for another thirty minutes, finally making it to Route 22. Once Ash deduced that the surroundings were safe, Ash gently set Pikachu down on the ground.

"Okay, Pikachu. You ready to do some training?" Pikachu nodded and smirked, making Ash smirk. "Okay. So, Dexter said you have an egg move called Charge. I have an idea of how we're going to do that."

Pikachu stood at attention, wondering how Ash was going to train it.

"Start by using Thundershock on yourself." He nodded.

Pikachu stared at his trainer. Maybe he was crazy...

"Don't give me that look." He laughed. "Charge is a build up of an electric type's power. Afterward, your electrical attacks will be much stronger." He directed.

Pikachu nodded, understanding. Pikachu stood on all fours, looking up at his trainer, waiting for orders.

"Okay, Pikachu. Use Thundershock on yourself." Ash ordered.

"Pika...chu!" The mouse cried as he released the electricity into his body.

"Hold it! Try and keep the electricity from escaping from your body." Ash exclaimed.

Pikachu cringed, trying to keep hold of the electricity. After a few moments of holding in the attack, the electricity shot off Pikachu and rocketed towards Ash.

Ash gasped and jumped down on the ground, the attack shooting over him.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried, rushing over to his trainer.

"I'm okay, Pikachu." He looked behind him and saw a scorch mark on the ground several feet away. "That was a good first try. Let's try again." Ash said, standing up.

Pikachu nodded and performed the same attack on himself, focusing on holding the electricity.

"That's it. Keep holding it!" Ash commanded, watching his partner try and control the electricity.

Once again, Pikachu couldn't contain the amount of electricity and it rocketed off of him. The duo kept at the training for about an hour, before Ash called for a break.

"Here." Ash said, filling up a small bowl of Poke Chow.

Pikachu blinked, picking up one of the pellets. He put it into his mouth and hummed happily. He ate the food with vigor, not wanting to leave a single piece untouched.

Ash chuckled. "Glad you like it, Pikachu." He reached into his backpack, pulling out a small, brown bag. He reached in and pulled out a peanut butter sandwich, an apple, and a bottle of water. Ash took a bite of his sandwich, and pulled out his Pokedex.

"Pika Pika Chu?" Pikachu asked, shoving more food into his mouth.

"I'm checking to see what Pokemon I can find on this route. The first gym leader uses rock types and you are at a disadvantage." He said nonchalantly.

"Pika..." Pikachu grumbled.

"Don't give me that. The only way we'd stand a chance is if we caught a Mankey here. But it looks like it's Mankey's migratory season." Ash grumbled. "Mankey flock here in the spring, but moved towards central Kanto in the summer." He sighed. "So we're out of luck there." He sighed, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Pikachu Pi?" Pikachu asked, pushing his empty bowl away.

"Well...Psyduck, Poliwag, and Slowpoke have been seen around here. I figured if we couldn't get a Mankey, that'd I try to get one of them." He explained, closing his Pokedex. "They can all be pretty good Pokemon, it's just getting lucky enough to find one."

Ash finished his lunch, and stood up, brushing himself off. "There's a pond, not too far from here. That's where we're likely to find them." He said, picking up Pikachu's bowl and putting it away in his pack. "Let's go, Pikachu."

"Pikachu!" The mouse cried, hopping back up onto Ash's shoulder.

The duo took the short walk from their picnic site to the pond, which looked calm and quiet. "Well...there doesn't seem to be any activity right now. What do you say we liven things up a bit?" He smirked at his Pikachu.

Pikachu smirked as well, jumping off the boy's shoulders.

"Alright Pikachu, use tail whip on the water. Cause as much of a commotion on the surface as you can." Ash directed.

Pikachu nodded, jogging over to the surface. Pikachu turned around, and began to slap the flat side of his tail against the water. Waves of ripples flowed across the surface.

"Keep at it, Pikachu." Ash said as he moved closer to the surface. "If one's curious enough, they'll come check out the disturbance." He explained.

Pikachu nodded and continued to slap his tail across the water.

Ash stood there, watching his Pikachu repeatedly slap the water, waiting for any sign of a Pokemon. After a solid ten minutes, Ash stopped his Pikachu.

"Alright Pikachu, that's enough." He sighed, scratching his head with annoyance. "If a Pokemon were curious, it'd have shown up by now." He grumbled.

Pikachu nodded, walking back over to his trainer. He looked back at his tail, which was drooping.

"Sorry bud. I'm sure your tail's sore. But...think of it as some special training. You're building up the strength in your tail. That'll make for a stronger tail whip, and eventually it'll help if you decide to learn Iron Tail."

Pikachu nodded, happy to have a little rest.

"Poli?"

Ash and Pikachu turned their attention towards the pond. Poking out of the water was a blue, spherical dome with wide black eyes.

Ash sucked in his breath, not wanting to startle the aquatic Pokemon. Ash slowly pulled out his Pokedex, pointing it at the Poliwag.

" _ **Poliwag, the tadpole Pokemon. Poliwag has no arms, but its tail makes it a powerful swimmer."**_

"Alright, Pikachu. We gotta get Poliwag out of the water." Ash instructed. "Try and catch it's attention. This might sound kind of strange, but use Tail Whip as cutely and playfully as you can. Try and get it to come to you."

Pikachu nodded and began to shake his tail. Pikachu gave the Poliwag a playful expression, wanting the Poliwag to come play with him.

"Poli!" The tadpole Pokemon cried, swimming towards Pikachu. Once at the water's edge, the Poliwag hopped onto land, waddling towards the electric mouse.

"Pikachu! Use Growl now!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu turned and emitted a shrill cry. The Poliwag whined, trying to shake away the loud noise.

"Now, use Thundershock!"

"Pika...chu!" The mouse cried, releasing the electricity from it's body. The electric current flew towards the Poliwag, enveloping the tadpole. Ash watched as the Poliwag, cried out in pain. After Pikachu's attack, the Poliwag glared at him and Pikachu.

"Poli! Poli!" It jumped up and down a few times, looking rather angry at the duo. Once it stopped jumping, it fired off a water gun.

"Dodge, Pikachu! Then use Growl again!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu jumped out of the way, and opened his mouth again; the piercing cry echoing through the area. The Poliwag cringed again, crouching down in pain.

"Pikachu! Use Thundershock one more time!" Ash cried out.

Pikachu nodded and cried out as it released the electricity directly at the water type. The Poliwag cried out in pain, falling backwards in defeat.

Ash smirked. He grabbed one of the empty Pokeballs from his belt and threw it at the downed Poliwag. The Pokeball hit the blue tadpole and sucked it in with a red light. The ball landed on the ground with a soft thud and began to wiggle. Ash watched the Pokeball sway back and forth, the button of the Pokeball flashing red. After a few moments, the ball stopped moving, and gave a soft 'ding.'

Ash walked over and picked up the ball with a smile. "Awesome job, Pikachu! We caught Poliwag." He said, happily.

"Pi Pikachu!" The mouse cried, giving his trainer the victory sign.

Ash flinched slightly, hearing a booming off in the distance.

"Come on. We should head back to the Pokemon Center before we get caught in that storm." He said firmly.

Pikachu nodded, jumping up onto Ash's shoulder, tired after its battle with the Poliwag. Before Ash could take a step forward, he heard a loud cry behind him.

He turned and quickly ducked; a Spearow flying away from him. Ash turned back around, seeing the Spearow coming back towards him.

"Crap. I was hoping this wouldn't happen." Ash grumbled. Spearow were rather feisty Pokemon. If they felt threatened, whether by humans or Pokemon, they would attack without hesitation. Ash figured he must have stumbled into a Spearow's territory.

"Our battle with Poliwag must've disturbed it. Pikachu, use Growl!" He commanded.

Pikachu, while tired, leapt off of Ash's shoulder and let out the piercing noise. The Spearow faltered in the air, but continued on its path towards Ash and Pikachu.

"Shoot." Ash whispered. "Pikachu! Thundershock!"

Pikachu cried out, sending its electricity at the flying type. The Spearow cried out in pain, falling to the ground in a heap.

Ash threw a Pokeball at the weakened Spearow, wanting to catch it before it could call it's flock for help.

The Pokeball wiggled on the ground, and gave a soft 'ding,' signaling Ash caught the angry Spearow.

The boy sighed and picked up the ball, clipping it to his belt. "Well...that was unexpected." He sighed. He heard another rumble in the distance and frowned. "Come on, Pikachu. We've got to go."

Pikachu nodded, jumping up on Ash's shoulder.

The boy quickly headed back towards Viridian City. But shortly after he started his trek, the storm was above him, rain pouring down. Ash started running, trying to find shelter from the storm. He came across a small alcove along the cliff side. He sat in the small indentation gasping for breath, glad to be out of the rain.

Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, shaking the water from it's fur, splashing his trainer in the process.

Ash tried to defend himself from the onslaught of water, but it wasn't very effective. "Thanks a lot, Pikachu." He grumbled.

Pikachu chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. He climbed on top of Ash's lap, looking up at him with concern.

"I'm okay, buddy." He smiled, petting Pikachu's head. "I wasn't expecting the storm to hit for another couple of hours. I guess I lost track of time." He sighed.

Pikachu smiled and gently pat Ash's hand. Pikachu yelped when a loud boom echoed above.

Ash smiled, and put his arms around Pikachu. "Don't worry, buddy. It's just a little thunder." He looked out and saw that the rain was coming down hard, with no sign of letting up. "Looks like we'll be here a while."

.

.

The storm continued the rest of the day, even into the night. Ash and Pikachu spent the night curled up in Ash's sleeping bag in the safety of the alcove, not wanting to venture out into the storm. The storm finally stopped as the sun started to peek over the horizon. The morning sun woke up the teenage boy, giving him a sense of relief.

"Hey Pikachu." Ash said softly, gently shaking his sleeping partner. "Come on. Let's head to the Pokemon Center."

"Pika..." The small mouse groaned, slowly pushing himself off of Ash's lap.

"I know. The sooner we get back to Viridian, the soon Nurse Joy can check you out." He chuckled, lifting up his partner and standing himself. Once he was packed and out of the alcove, he was greeted by a beautiful sight. A large, vibrant rainbow was above them, the morning light filling the small valley.

"Wow. Would you look at that..." He said in awe.

"Pika..." Pikachu gasped, his eyes sparkling at the magnificent sight.

The two were brought out of their thoughts as a loud, but soothing cry rang out through the valley. The two looked up, shocked at the sight. A large, majestic Pokemon flew over them, crying out again. It's cry almost sounded like bells ringing.

"N-No way..."

"Pikachu..."

Ash quickly pulled out his Pokedex, pointing it at the majestic bird.

" _ **Ho-Oh: The Rainbow Pokemon. Legends claim this Pokemon flies the world's skies continuously on its magnificent seven-colored wings. It is said that those who see Ho-Oh are promised an eternal happiness."**_

Ash slowly lowered his Pokedex, watching in awe at the legendary Pokemon flew over the rainbow. He looked at Pikachu who had the same expression hon his face. Once Ho-Oh was out of sight, Ash fell onto his backside, staring up at the rainbow in fascination.

After several quiet moments, Ash could only smile. "' _Eternal happiness_ ,' huh? Wait until I tell Professor Oak about this."

 **~End Chapter**

 **So? What'd you guys think? Just to let you guys know, I have all of Ash's Pokemon planned out. I'm still thinking of adding a few more, but that's still up in the air.**

 **If you want to see Ash catch a specific Pokemon, let me know in a review!**

 **Thanks guys!**

 **~Lu Lu-Chan25**


	3. Kanto 2

**Chapter 3**

 **What goes on? Hope everyone is doing good. Here is the next chapter of Ash's Story. I hope you enjoy this!**

 **I would like to thank my beta, Chibiusa for editing this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I also do not own the idea of the "King's Nature" (SPOILERS!) That idea is from vincentgrey21. I was given permission by him to use his idea.**

Ash finally made it back to the Pokemon Center feeling a little worse for wear. He was sore, dirty, and tired. He walked inside, seeing Nurse Joy working at the front desk. He walked up and gave the pinkette a tired smile.

"Hey Nurse Joy." He greeted.

"Hello." She said warmly. She looked at the boy, giving him a raised eyebrow. "I don't remember seeing you come in last night. Are you alright?"

Ash chuckled, glad to know the Nurse was concerned about him. "Yeah, I'm okay. I got caught up in the storm, and I didn't feel safe traveling in it." He explained.

Joy nodded, feeling relieved that the boy was okay. "Alright. Do you need anything?"

"Yeah. I caught two Pokemon, but I'm sure they're exhausted and need some TLC." Ash said, unclipping the two Pokeballs from his belt. "Pikachu could do with a check up, too. He used a lot of energy yesterday before the storm came in." He explained.

Nurse Joy nodded, grabbing a tray from under the counter. "No problem, Ash. Place your Pokeballs here, and I'll make sure your Pokemon are good to go."

"Thanks Nurse Joy. I'm going to take a shower, and maybe a nap." He said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Joy chuckled and nodded. "No problem, Ash. You still have your room key?"

Ash reached into his back pocket and jingled the keys.

Joy smiled. "Perfect. Come on, Pikachu. Let's get you all fixed up."

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder to Nurse Joy's, disappearing with the pinkette into the back.

Ash took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. He walked to the lodging quarters, where he found his room and walked inside. It was a fairly basic room with two bunk beds lining the walls. He noticed a door next to one of the beds, figuring that was the bathroom. He walked into the bathroom, taking in the room. It was a full size bathroom with all the amenities: toilet, vanity and sink, a tub/shower combo. What surprised him was a square machine next to the vanity. It was a small washer/dryer combo.

Ash smiled. He stripped his clothes, tossing them into the machine and stepped into the shower. The hot water relaxed his muscles, washing away the dirt and grime from the night before. After cleaning himself and relaxing in the shower, he got out, dried himself off, and changed into a clean set of clothes. He checked the washer/dryer, seeing that it was done and turned it back on to dry his clothes. He hadn't heard Nurse Joy call for him, so he decided to take a nap.

.

.

" _Ash Ketchum. Your Pokemon are ready for pick up. Please report to the front desk."_

Ash shot up in his bed, startled by the sudden noise. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock with bleary eyes.

 _ **12:17** P.M._

Ash stretched and got out of bed. He put on his sneakers, grabbed his freshly cleaned clothes and stuffed them in his pack, and left the small room. He walked to the front counter, seeing Nurse Joy at the counter, Pikachu sitting in front of her.

"Pikachu." Ash called.

Pikachu turned around and smiled. "Pika Pi!" The small mouse jumped up from the counter onto Ash's shoulder.

"I'm guessing you feel better. Thanks for taking care of Pikachu, Nurse Joy." Ashe said, bowing his head.

Joy chuckled. "No problem, Ash. How was your nap? You must've been out, because I called for you three different times in the last three hours.

Ash's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

Joy laughed. "It only took me about 45 minutes to heal your Pokemon. You must've been dead to world."

Ash blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "S-Sorry for the inconvenience..."

"Oh it's no problem. Here." She said, pulling a tray of two Pokeballs out. "Here are your other Pokemon."

Ash smiled, taking Spearow's and Poliwag's Pokeballs and clipping them to his belt. "Thanks, Nurse Joy."

"No problem, Ash." She smiled, and gave a small bow to the trainer. "Good luck on your journey."

He gave a small wave to the nurse and walked to the video phones. He thought about talking to the Professor about his legendary sighting, but decided to keep it to himself. He felt like it was a special occurrence just for him. He also didn't want to give the old man a heart attack. Instead, he walked outside to the Pokemon Center's outdoor training area, where he unclipped Poliwag's and Spearow's Pokeballs from his belt. He threw the balls in the air, releasing the two Pokemon.

Ash watched as both Pokemon took in their surroundings with confusion. He stepped forward, kneeling in front of them. "Hey there, guys. My name's Ash, and I'm your new trainer."

Both Pokemon took the news differently. Poliwag was happy; jumping up and down in excitement. Spearow, however, was furious.

It began shrieking and beating it's wings aggressively. It took to the skies, circling the trainer, waiting to strike.

"Pikachu...use growl." Ash commanded softly.

Pikachu leaped off his trainer's shoulders, and let out a piercing cry. Ash watched as the Spearow falter in the air, but continued to fly; much like the first battle it had. Spearow dove down with a cry, it's beak glowing slightly.

"Use thundershock." Ash commanded.

Pikachu stood on the ground, crouching down slightly. Pikachu let out a battle cry, releasing the electricity towards the bird.

Ash's Spearow cried out in pain, falling from the sky. Ash moved underneath the Spearow, catching it before it hit the ground.

Spearow looked up at Ash, scowling.

"Enough." Ash glared. "I'm not going to deal with this kind of attitude."

The Spearow looked at it's trainer with a surprised expression. It wasn't expecting that. It let out a huff, turning it's head away from Ash.

Ash sighed, still holding onto his Spearow. "Listen...I didn't mean to capture you. I only did it so Pikachu and I wouldn't be attacked. A storm was coming and having to fend you off and deal with a storm would have been beyond troublesome." He said firmly. "If you want, I'll release you so you can go back to your territory."

Spearow turned back towards Ash with a pout.

"What? Your pride won't allow you to accept that?" Ash mocked. He watched his Spearow turn away with a blush, still pouting. Ash snickered. _'Prideful little brat, aren't you?'_ It appeared his Spearow was a tsundere.

"Listen..." He said, carefully setting the Spearow on the ground. "My dream is to become a Pokemon Master. I would love for you to be a part of my team and help me obtain that goal. Along the way, I'll train you to be one of the strongest Spearow or Fearow you can be."

Spearow's eyes widened as it listened to Ash. He wanted it to become stronger? Not just for him, but itself too...

Spearow gave a quiet grumbling chirp, but nodded its head.

"Awesome." Ash smiled, straightening up. "I thought about traveling towards Viridian Forest, but I think a day of training would be a good idea." He nodded, pulling out his Pokedex. He wanted to see the potential of his Pokemon. He started with Spearow...

" _ **Spearow: the Tiny Bird Pokemon. Unlike Pidgey, Spearow has a terrible attitude. It is very wild and will sometimes attack other Pokemon and humans in order to protect their territory."**_

Ash outright laughed at Dexter's summary of Spearow. Ash noticed his Spearow glaring up at him, and he laughed harder.

" _ **Gender: Female. Ability: Keen Eye. Move Set: Peck, Growl, and Leer."**_

Ash nodded at the rest of the information. It was a little surprising to find out his Spearow was a female, but it didn't matter to him. Next, he pointed it at Poliwag.

" _ **Poliwag: the Tadpole Pokemon-"**_ Ash listened to the summary again with minimal interest. **_"Gender: Male. Ability: Water Absorb. Move Set: Water Sport, Bubble, Hypnosis, Water Gun."_**

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Wow...not bad, Poliwag." He smiled. "Both of you...I believe you guys have a lot of potential, and I want to tap into it. So...let's get started."

Both Pokemon stood at the ready, Pikachu joining them by their side.

"Alright. Spearow, we're going to work on your endurance. I want you to fly in the same spot for an hour. No breaks." He instructed.

Spearow nodded and flew over to a spot on the field where she could practice without being interrupted.

"Okay, Poliwag. I want to start strengthening up your tail." He grabbed some rope from his backpack and a rock from the ground, tying it at the base of Poliwag's tail. "Alright. Start doing tail lifts for an hour."

"Poli!" He cried enthusiastically, moving its tail up and down.

"Alright Pikachu. Let's get back to work on charge."

"Pika!"

.

.

After an hour of work, Ash called for a break. He saw Spearow was panting, but still airborne. He looked over at Poliwag, noticing that he was really hard time lifting his tail off the ground. Pikachu looked better than his comrades, but still tired.

"Alright guys. How about some lunch?" He smiled.

All three Pokemon cried in joy, moving towards their trainer. He walked into the Pokemon Center's cafeteria, where he fed his Pokemon standard Poke Chow. He, himself, ordered a burger, and they all ate happily.

"So...I figured we'd work on your guy's moves next." Ash said after swallowing his food. "I want to see how strong your moves are now, and what we could work on."

The Pokemon nodded, still stuffing their faces.

After lunch, they returned to the training area of the Pokemon center. Ash watched his Pokemon perform their moves, and was satisfied with Spearow. Her growl was shrill and cringe-worthy, and her leer was chilling. Her peck was spectacular. Her beak was tough, and extended properly during the attack.

Poliwag was more of a work in progress. It's water moves were spot on; bubble and water gun had power behind them, and water sport wasn't a hard move to execute. But his hypnosis was sloppy, it was also inaccurate and weak.

Ash started Spearow on fury attack. He explained that it was very similar to peck, though it focused more on the multitude of the attack, rather than the power. Spearow began practicing the move on a nearby tree.

He had Pikachu work on charge some more. Instead of using thundershock on himself, Ash instructed Pikachu pull the electricity out, but not fire it.

Pikachu nodded and went to work on the new move.

"Alright Poliwag." Ash smiled, kneeling before his water type. "Let's get to work on hypnosis. I want you to use it on me."

Poliwag's eyes widened, shaking his head. "Poli! Poli Poli Li Poli!"

"It'll be okay. The most your hypnosis will do is just make me sleepy." He chuckled. "You need to give it your all, okay? Once your hypnosis is potent enough, we'll work on it's accuracy."

Poliwag nodded, waiting for his trainer's go-ahead.

"Alright Poliwag! Give it everything you got!" Ash commanded.

Poliwag's eyes began to glow pink, small waves emanating from his eyes. Ash felt the waves hit him, but the effect was minimal. He felt his eyes droop a little, but nothing more. He shook the sleepiness away, and commanded Poliwag to try again. This went on for a while, with little to no progress. After about thirty minutes, Ash told Poliwag to stop.

"Poli..." He said quietly.

"It's okay Poliwag. It'll get better. Hypnosis is considered a psychic type move, so it's going to be more difficult for you to master."

"Poli..." Poliwag sighed.

"You know what you could do?" Ash saw Poliwag look up at him, hopefully. "You could try meditation."

"Poli?" He blinked. Meditation? Why would he need to meditate?

"I know it sounds weird, but when I was working with Professor Oak, his Alakazam meditated every day. I found out that meditation helps with its psychic powers." Ash explained. "Meditation might help with you build up the power of your hypnosis."

Poliwag thought about it for a moment. It did make sense...Poliwag nodded its head, signaling he was willing to try it out.

"Perfect. The purpose of meditation is to focus and quiet your mind. It will eventually give you a higher level of awareness. Now it all starts with your breathing. Don't take large breaths, breath normal; but be aware of your breathing. While you're doing that, focus on one thing. Visualize that one thing." Ash explained. He noticed his Poliwag staring at him with confusion, and he chuckled.

"Okay. Try this. Sit or lie down, and make sure you're comfortable."

Poliwag sat down, staring at his trainer.

"Alright, now, close your eyes and breathe. Don't force your breathing, just breathe like you normally would." He watched his Pokemon do as he was told, which made him smile. "Now visualize something, anything. It could be your hypnosis, it could be me, it could be anything." He continued to watch his Pokemon breathe. "You should feel calm, and relaxed. Continue to do this for a while, and it should help."

Poliwag didn't respond, focusing on his meditation.

Ash smirked and stood up, leaving his Pokemon.

.

.

Ash spent the entire day training his Pokemon, making sure their moves hit with precision and power. Poliwag's hypnosis definitely looked better after the little tadpole's meditation. It was still far behind where Ash wanted it to be, but he knew it would take some time. Spearow was still working on perfecting fury attack, and Pikachu was still working on getting charge. Pikachu was able to gather the electricity around his body, but he had trouble keeping it from releasing. It would still shoot off itself, but he was getting there.

After a hot meal, another shower, and a good night's sleep in a bed, Ash was ready to go. His Pokemon were also well rested and raring to go. Ash returned his room key to Nurse Joy, and bid farewell to the pink-haired nurse. He made a quick detour to the PokeMart, gathering up some extra Poke Chow, and some food for himself.

"Alright Pikachu. We're headed to the Viridian Forest. Hopefully we'll catch a couple of new Pokemon." He smiled.

"Pi Pikachu!" The small mouse cheered.

"I wonder if I should catch Mom a Pokemon." He thought nonchalantly. "There isn't anything all that great over here." He shrugged. "Maybe I'll get lucky and catch her a Clefairy when we reach Mt. Moon." He joked.

Pikachu chuckled as well. Clefairy were notoriously rare in Kanto; just as rare as the luck Pokemon, Chansey. Thinking about it, he probably wouldn't use a Clefairy. They were adorable Pokemon that captured the hearts of females across many regions – naturally curious pacifists. If encountered, they didn't like to fight and chose to run away. If he did happen to catch one, he knew his mom would love to have a cute Pokemon around.

Ash stretched and pressed forward, heading out of Viridian City. It didn't take long to reach Route 2, and the route was pretty uneventful. He battled a couple of newbie trainers, and beat them fairly easily. When he saw that he earned money from those battles, it made him smile.

"I'm glad I got some money after those battles, Pikachu. Imagine if I had to go through my entire journey with only my beginner trainer funds." He and his Pokemon laughed.

"Ash."

The raven-haired boy stopped, turning towards who called his name. His eyes widened slightly, seeing his old rival.

"Gary." He said softly. He smiled at the brown-haired boy, walking up to him. "Hey Gary! How's it goin'?" He greeted cheerfully.

"I'm glad to be out of Pallet Town." He said with a shrug. "That's all that matters."

Ash felt his cheerful attitude change, hearing Gary's words. "Why's that?"

"Feh. None of your business." He frowned. "Have you caught any new Pokemon, Ashy-boy?" He mocked.

Ash glared at the brunet, not happy to be called by his old nickname. "I don't know, Gare-Bear. Have you?" He smirked.

Gary glared back. It seemed both boys were rather sour about their old nicknames. "Tsk. You're stupid if you don't think I caught new Pokemon." He scoffed. "How about I show you?" He smirked, grabbing a Pokeball.

Ash smirked. "Sound's good to me. How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Hmph. I've already caught four Pokemon." Gary smirked, twirling a Pokeball on his finger.

"Four?" Ash gaped. Hearing that made him feel sort of put out that he only caught two Pokemon. "How about a two on two, then? No starters."

"Pika?!" His starter cried in shock.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'll make sure you get a couple battles in today." He said, petting Pikachu behind the ears. His partner hummed in content, jumping off his shoulders and moving out of the way.

Gary shrugged. "Fine with me." He tossed the Pokeball, and a small purple rat appeared.

"Rat!"

Ash saw the Ratata and pulled out Dexter, pointing it at the purple rat.

" _ **Ratata: the Mouse Pokemon. Ratata's impressive vitality allows it to live anywhere. It ceaselessly scavenges for edibles the entire day."**_

Ash put Dexter away, grabbing a Pokeball on his belt. "Go Poliwag!"

"Poli!" He cried, hopping up and down in excitement.

"Tsk. What a joke." Gary said with a roll of his eyes. "Ratata use quick attack!"

"Poliwag, dodge it and use water gun!" Ash commanded.

Poliwag tried to dodge, but Ratata's quick attack hit, sending Poliwag skidding back, cringing in pain

"You okay, Poliwag?" Ash asked, concerned for his Pokemon.

"Poli!" He cried with a nod.

"Great. Use water gun!" Ash ordered.

Poliwag took a deep breath and shot out the high pressure stream of water. It hit ratata dead on, causing the soaked rat bouncing backwards.

"Ratata, use bite!" Gary cried out, pointing towards Ash and the Poliwag.

Ratata stood up, shaking out it's fur and charged the tadpole.

"Poliwag, use bubble!"

Poliwag took another deep breath, blowing out a barrage of bubbles at the Ratata. The bubbles causes Ratata to stop it's charge.

"Great job, Poliwag! Now use Hypnosis!" Ash called out.

Poliwag closed it's eyes, taking a slow breath. It opened it's glowing pink eyes, sending pink waves toward Ratata.

"Ratata! You have to get away from that hypnosis!" Gary cried.

Before Ratata could get away, it's eyes were locked with Poliwags; the pink waved hitting the rat. Ratata's eyes began to get droopy, but it wasn't quite asleep.

"Ha! Your Poliwag's so weak it can't even produce a decent hypnosis!" Gary criticized.

Ash gave his opponent a dark look. He didn't appreciate Gary degrading his Pokemon. "Not yet, but it doesn't need to be potent for Poliwag to defeat your Ratata." Ash smirked. "Poliwag! Use water gun while Ratata's sleepy!"

Gary's eyes widened slightly, not taking into consideration how much slower his Pokemon would be now that it was tired.

Poliwag shot out the water gun, hitting Ratata directly in the face. Ratata skid back several feet, its eyes closed in pain.

Gary frowned, grabbing Ratata's pokeball, recalling his fallen Pokemon.

Ash smiled. "Way to go, Poliwag! You did a great job!"

Poliwag jumped up and down in celebration. It ran over to Ash, leaping up into his arms.

Ash chuckled and rubbed the Pokemon's smooth head. "You did great. Take a rest, buddy."

Gary frowned at his rival, his face going red with anger. "It's not over yet, Ash. You still have to beat me other Pokemon."

Ash nodded, recalling Poliwag. "True. I'm sure me and my Pokemon will do just fine." He smirked, throwing his other pokeball. "Go Spearow!"

"Spearow!" She cried, flapping her wings to get her off the ground. She looked confident and raging for a battle.

"A spearow, huh? Well then. How about we make it Spearow versus Spearow." Gary smirked, tossing his second pokeball.

Ash was feeling confident when he heard Gary. But his confidence quickly faded as he stared at the opposing Spearow.

The specimen before them was unlike any other Pokemon he had ever seen. Gary's Spearow was huge for a normal Spearow. Spearow were roughly a foot tall from its feet to the top of its shoulders; this Spearow had to be at least three feet tall.

Ash looked towards his Spearow, seeing her shrink under the bigger Spearow's gaze. "It's okay, Spearow! Just because it's bigger doesn't mean it's stronger!"

Spearow shook her head, squawking at the bigger avian. The opposing Spearow looked down at the smaller being, giving it a sqwuawk of it's own.

"Spearow! Use peck!" Ash cried.

"Leer." Gary calmly called out.

Spearow darted up in the air, and dove towards the larger bird, it's beak glowing and growing larger.

The larger Spearow's eyes glowed an eerie yellow, narrowing its eyes at the smaller bird.

Spearow stopped mid-air, cringing under the other's gaze.

"Spearow, it's okay! Use growl!" Ash commanded.

"Use your own growl." Gary stated.

Both birds let out a piercing cry, but Gary's Spearow's growl was much louder and overrode its opponent's.

Ash's Spearow squawked in pain, faltering in the air.

"Now use peck." Gary commanded.

Gary's Spearow shot off the ground like a Zubat out of hell, ramming its beak into Spearow's chest. It continued its relentless attack, and Ash could do nothing to stop it. When the large avian finally stopped, Spearow fell back towards the Earth.

Ash ran across the battlefield, catching Spearow before she could hit the ground. "You okay, Spearow?" Ash asked with concern.

"Rooooow..." She mumbled, slowly nodding her head.

"Alright, Gary. You win. I'm not going to let Spearow continue." Ash said holding his weakened Pokemon.

Gary shrugged and recalled his Spearow. "Not so tough now, are you, Ash?" He smirked.

Ash glared at his rival, pulling Pokemon closer to him. "You're an ass, Gary." He growled, kneeling down. He pulled out a potion and sprayed his Pokemon. Spearow cringed, letting out a squawk of discomfort.

"It's alright Spearow, you'll feel better soon." He said softly. Ash saw Gary watching him, and he sent the other teen a scowl. "You can leave now."

Gary's eyes widened slightly, before he scowled back. "Whatever." He said, turning his back to Ash. He shoved his hands in his pockets and left.

Ash raised an eyebrow at the boy as he watched him walk away. "What is his problem?" He asked himself. He shook his head with a sigh, looking back down at his injured Pokemon. He could tell the potion was already helping his Spearow.

"Feeling a little better now, Spearow?"

"Row Spearow." She cawed, hopping onto her feet.

"I'm glad you're okay. Are you well enough to keep travelling, or should I head back to the Pokemon Center?" He asked, unclipping her Pokeball from his belt.

"Row!" She cried, frowning at her trainer.

Ash laughed. "Alright, no problem." He returned his bird, and clipped her Pokeball back to his belt. Ash's thought drifted to his fight with Gary.

 _'His Spearow was so tough...and why was it so big?! I should ask Professor Oak.'_ He thought as he pulled out his Pokegear. "Come on, Pikachu. We need to get moving."

Pikachu ran over from his spot and jumped up onto Ash's shoulder.

Ash pet Pikachu, and called Professor Oak, continuing on his way through Route 2.

 _/Ring/_

 _/Ring/_

 _/Ring/_

 _/Ri-/_

 _/Professor Oak Laboratory. This is Alena./_

Ash smiled, hearing Alena's voice. "Hey Alena! It's Ash."

 _/Ash! It's so good to hear from you. How's your journey going?/_

"So far so good. Caught myself to new Pokemon. I even battled Gary." He said that last part with a sour expression.

 _/How'd that go?/_

"It could've been better. I need to talk to Professor Oak. Is he around?"

 _/Not right now, Ash. I can tell him you called, if you want./_

"Sure. I just wanted to talk to him about one of Gary's Pokemon."

 _/Is it okay? He's not abusing it, is he?/_ Her voice was frantic.

"No no." He reassured. "It was just bizarre. He had a Spearow that was like...three times the normal size." Ash explained, still baffled at the Pokemon, himself.

 _/.../_

"Alena?" He asked, perturbed by her sudden silence.

 _/Don't lie to me, Ash. I will find you out in the wild and murder you myself, if you are lying to me./_ Her voice was low and serious, sending a shiver of fear through Ash.

"Why would I lie about that?" He asked nervously.

 _/Ash...if you're telling the truth, which I hope you are...Gary's got himself something as rare and valuable as a shiny Pokemon./_

Ash's eyes widened. He had read about shiny Pokemon. They are in every way the same as other Pokemon; the only difference being a genetic coding in their DNA that has changed the pigment of their hide. It would be the equivalent to a human that had albinism.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked with a shaky voice.

 _/It's called the 'King's Nature.' It's a genetic defect in a Pokemon's DNA where they are much larger than the rest of their species. It's like gigantism for humans./_ Alena stated. _/It's similar to shiny Pokemon, it's not any different than the rest of it's species, despite being very large./_

"I don't know, Alena. His Spearow was really strong." Ash said, remembering how it attacked his own Spearow.

 _/Well...I guess that can be expected. With its larger physique, it would be physically stronger; hitting harder, and take hits better./_

Ash nodded. "Alright. Well...the fact that he caught it is really cool. I mean...I didn't appreciate it beating up my Spearow, but it's still cool that he caught something so rare."

 _/I have to call Gary and see if he'll let us study it. Arceus, I hope he let's us. His grandfather will probably have an aneurysm if he see's it./_

Ash laughed at that. "Go ahead and call him, but he's still as cold as ever." 

_/Thanks for the heads up. Bye Ash. Thanks for calling./_

"No problem. Bye Alena." He said, hanging up the Pokegear. He put it back into his pocket and looked at Pikachu, who was giving him a curious look.

"Looks like Gary's already caught himself some crazy rare Pokemon." he laughed to himself. "Of course he would. He is the grandson of Professor Oak, after all." He said puffing out his chest, doing the best Gary impression he could muster.

Pikachu snickered.

Ash laughed alongside his Pokemon, continuing through Route 2. The rest of the trek was dull and uneventful. When they finally reached the edge of the forest, it was nearly lunch time. He settled himself at the entrance to the forest, and released his Pokemon.

Poliwag jumped up and down, as per his customary greeting. He looked a little tired, but was still as energetic as ever.

Spearow looked down right exhausted, despite having a potion.

"I know you two are tired from our last battle, and I want to say I'm very proud of you guys." He praised. "I couldn't have asked for more."

Poliwag showed his trainer his thanks by doing a little happy-dance; it pleased him to have made his trainer happy.

Spearow, however, looked put off. She blushed at the praise, but looked away from her trainer in shame.

"What's the matter, Spearow? Are you upset over your loss?" He asked, curiously.

Spearow slowly hopped around, turning her back to her trainer. Ash laughed at Spearow's reaction. "Don't worry, Spearow. It's only one loss. You'll be winning battles in no time." He said, gently scratching behind Spearow's wing joints.

Spearow's eyes widened slightly. That felt so good...She chirped in happiness, leaning into the touch.

Ash rolled his eyes, chuckling at his Pokemon's behavior. After giving each of his Pokemon some love, he pulled out some bowls and fed them. While eating lunch, Ash thought back to Gary's Spearow.

 _'Its size was so great. Was that why it was so strong? Or did Gary train it to be that strong...'_ Ash thought as he pulled out an apple and a prepackaged sandwich to eat. He took a large bite of his sandwich, still mulling over the enormous avian.

He looked at his own Pokemon, taking another bite of his sandwich. _'The next time I see Gary... I won't let him or his Pokemon bully us. I won't stand for it.'_

 **~End Chapter**

 **So? What'd did you guys think? I hope you liked it. Special thanks to vincentgrey21 for letting me use his idea.**

 **Please review and comment!**

 **~Lu Lu-Chan25**


	4. Kanto 3

Viridian Forest was one of the more peaceful places in Kanto; the only sounds came from the rustling foliage and the sounds of Pokemon. Ash walked into the forest, feeling rather excited. He was looking forward to catching a Caterpie or a Weedle; even though they were one of the weaker bugs types. Ash wondered if he would be able to catch something rare. He read in a couple of books that Pokemon from Johto, Sinnoh, and even Hoenn sometimes migrated to the Viridian Forest. Hoenn winters were unnaturally cold, despite it being a coastal region. So many of it's grass and bug types would migrate to the Kanto region to escape the harsh winters.

But since it was approaching summer, that was highly unlikely.

"Well, Pikachu. It'll take a couple of days to get through the forest. Hopefully we'll catch a few-" Ash jumped in surprise when he heard a shrill scream.

He and Pikachu glanced at each other and nodded, racing towards the scream. It didn't take them long to find the source; a young girl with long, flaming orange hair, was curled up and shaking on the ground. Near her was a Caterpie who was particularly confused.

"Uh...are you okay?" He asked, kneeling down next to her.

"No!" She hollered, sitting up. "That...BUG just came out of nowhere and landed on my face!" She pointed an accusing finger at the Pokemon.

Ash turned to the Caterpie, who looked like it was blushing. The boy chuckled, holding his hand out to the girl. "It looks like it likes you."

The girl took Ash's hand and was hoisted back onto her feet. "Yeah well, I don't like it! I hate bugs!" She said crossing her arms over her chest.

Ash frowned, not liking her attitude. "Well, you don't have to be mean to it." He said, moving towards the Caterpie.

"I have every right to be mean to it! It jumped on my face while I was riding through here, and made me crash!" She exclaimed, pointing at her fallen bike.

Ash ignored the girl, and kneeled in front of the bug; Pikachu already having a conversation with it. "Hey there, Caterpie. You okay?" The bug type nodded its head. "That's good. How come you jumped on her?"

The Caterpie began to explain, though Ash didn't quite understand it all. He managed to understand that it only wanted to be friends with the girl.

Ash smiled and picked up the Caterpie. Pikachu jumped back up onto Ash's shoulder, smiling at it. "EW! Don't touch it!" She yelled.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a baby." He frowned, moving closer to the girl. "Caterpie only wanted to be friends with you. The least you could do is apologize for being mean to it."

"Apologize?! That thing should apologize to me for making me crash!" She growled, her arms still firmly crossed.

Ash sighed; it was like he was talking to a child. He looked at Caterpie, gently patting its head. "Listen Caterpie. Why don't you apologize to-" he said, looking at the girl.

"Misty. My name is Misty." She said with a huff.

"Right...Why don't you apologize to Misty, and I'm sure she'll apologize to you. Then you two can be friends." He explained, stroking the small bug's scales.

"Hmph! I'm not going to apologize to that thing! Nor am I going to be friends with it!" She said stomping her foot, and looking away from the trio with a pout.

Ash saw Caterpie's expression sadden, which made Ash angry.

Ash walked up to Misty, his face cold and hard. "You're nothing but a whiny child. You throw a tantrum when asked to do the right thing. Apologize to Caterpie." He growled

Misty stared up at Ash with a scowl. "I will not apologize to that bug! That thing could have seriously hurt me!" She yelled. "It would have been one thing if he crawled out of the bushes, not jumping out from a fricken tree!"

Ash took in what Misty said, feeling a little guilty he was putting all the blame on her. She was right; she was lucky she just got out of that crash with a few cuts and bruises. She could have broken her arm or hit her head if she fell wrong. Ash sighed, a little annoyed at Misty's valid argument. He turned to Catierpie, kneeling down before the bug.

"Caterpie...what you did was really reckless." He said firmly, but with a soft voice. "Not only could have Misty been more hurt, but you could have been seriously hurt yourself."

Caterpie's eyes widened, and it lowered its head in shame.

"Now, don't be too hard on yourself. You just need to be more careful, alright?" Ash said, petting the side of Caterpie's head.

Caterpie nodded, cooing at Ash's touch.

Misty shuddered at the scene. It still grossed her out that Ash touched the bug.

"Now Caterpie...apologize to Misty for jumping on her."

Caterpie scuttled over to the red-head, and bowed its head apologetically.

"I-It's okay...just don't do it again. I-I'm also sorry, Caterpie. I know you wanted to be friends, and I was being mean to you.."

Caterpie smiled and waved a few of it's stubby, suction cup feet.

Misty sighed, giving the bug a small, hesitant smile. "Th-thanks." She looked up at Ash, still wary of the boy. "Uh...I'm sorry to you, too. I was being kind of a bitch to you." She looked away sheepishly.

Ash chuckled softly, putting Caterpie on his free shoulder. "I forgive you." He nodded. "But you might want to learn to keep that temper in check."

Misty nodded. "You think I'm bad, you should meet my older sisters. They're even worse." She chuckled.

Ash chuckled, as well. "Well, let's hope I don't have to meet them. I'm Ash, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Ash. So what brings you to Viridian Forest?" She asked, picking up her bike off the ground.

"Well...I started my journey a couple of days ago. I'm on my way to Pewter City to take on the gym leader." He explained.

"So you're taking the Gym Leader Challenge." Misty thought aloud. "That's pretty cool." She smiled.

"What about you? How come you're in the Viridian Forest? If you hate bugs so much, I would expect you to avoid it as much as you can." Ash teased.

"True, but it's the only way to get to Pallet Town and Viridian City from Cerulean." Misty explained. "You see...I've been on a journey of my own for a while now. I want to be a Water Pokemon Master." She smiled brightly. "I love water Pokemon so much. I just think they're all darling." She gushed.

Ash nodded. "Nice. How long have you been traveling?"

"Well...I started about a year ago, and I've gotten in some really good training. I also caught a couple of new water types." She bragged. "But...my sisters are stupid and I need to go back home. I swear they can't do anything right." She grumbled.

She saw Ash staring at her with a confused expression, which made her laugh. "Don't worry about it. The point is, I have to help my sisters and cut my journey short."

Ash nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully the issue can be resolved and you can continue on your journey."

Misty chuckled. "Hopefully...but I doubt it. My sisters are pretty incompetent." She laughed and mounted her bike. "Thanks for helping me, and again...sorry."

Ash smiled and waved her off. "It's over and done with. Just keep it in mind for the future."

"Will do." She smiled. "Bye, Ash. Hopefully we'll meet again." She gave the boy a small wave and rode off.

Pikachu and Caterpie both called out their goodbyes and waved.

Ash looked at the Caterpie on his shoulder, smiling. "So Caterpie...I know you wanted to be friends with Misty. But I was wondering if you'd like to be friends with Pikachu and me. We're on a journey and it'd be awesome to have you as a part of the team."

Caterpie's eyes widened, staring at the young man. Its eyes grew watery, and nodded its head vigorously. It began to wiggle around in happiness, unable to contain its excitement.

Ash chuckled and took a pokeball off his belt and gently tapped it on Caterpie's head. The bug was sucked in with a red beam and didn't resist the capture. The ball quickly gave a soft 'ding,' and Ash immediately called out his new Caterpie.

Caterpie reared back onto its hind suction cups and wiggled its body, crying in happiness.

Ash chuckled and pulled out Dexter, scanning Caterpie.

" _ **Caterpie: The Worm Pokemon. Caterpie uses its suction cup feet to climb trees and feed on its favorite leaves. To repel enemies, Caterpie will release an unpleasant odor from its red antenna. Gender: Male. Move set: Tackle, and String Shot."**_

Ash put away Dexter, and turned back to his Caterpie. "Alright Caterpie. We need to continue our way into the forest. Do you wanna ride up on my shoulder, or return to your Pokeball?" He barely finished his sentence when he felt the little bug climb up his body and onto his shoulder.

Ash laughed and stroked Caterpie's head. He turned to his other should, seeing his Pikachu smiling at him. "You ready to go, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!"

Ash smiled and continued his way through Viridian Forest. He battled a couple of trainers, earning him a nice chunk of change in his trainer account. After making it to an open area, Ash set up camp and released his other Pokemon.

"Alright guys, I want to introduce you guys to a new member of our team." He smiled. "This is Caterpie." He said, plucking the worm off his shoulder and placing him in front of his two other Pokemon.

Caterpie smiled, giving his hello. Poliwag gave the new member his customary introduction: jumping up and down with glee. Spearow gave the worm a predatory look, crouching down slightly.

"Ah ah! Spearow no." Ash reprimanded. "Caterpie is not prey. He's a friend."

Spearow pouted up at her trainer, and sighed. She mumbled her introduction and turned away.

Caterpie blinked, looking up at his trainer.

"Don't mind her. She likes to be difficult." He teased. He saw Spearow pout more, and laughed. "Alright guys, I've set up camp for the night so we can continue with our training." He smirked.

"Poliwag, I want you to go meditate and continue working on your hypnosis. Later we'll have you do some more tail curls." Ash instructed.

Poliwag nodded and hopped away from the group to meditate.

"Spearow...I know you're probably still tired from battling Gary's Spearow-" Ash was interrupted by a loud squawk from his Spearow, seeing her trying to protest. "I'm not stopping you from training." He said, giving his Pokemon a look. "I want you to be careful. I know you're still tired, but if I instructed you to not train, you'd be upset and would do it behind my back."

Spearow wanted to protest, but knew he was right.

"I want you to continue working on your fury attack. But if you start to get tired, stop. I don't want you to overexert yourself and injure yourself further." He instructed. "Can you do that?"

Spearow huffed, nodding.

Ash chuckled, scratching behind her wing joints. "Good. Now get going." After seeing his Spearow go off to train, he turned his attention to Pikachu. "Alright, Pikachu. I want you to keep working on Charge. You're starting to get the hang of it, and I want to see how far you can get today."

"Pi Pikachu!" He cried, going to his own place to train.

"Okay, Caterpie." He smiled, kneeling in front of the bug. "I want you to try and teach you Bug Bite."

Caterpie nodded, giving Ash a determined expression.

Ash laughed, petting Caterpie's scales. "Just what I like to see. Let's get to work. According to Dexter, the move Bug Bite requires multiple, rapid bites to an opponent." Ash smiled, seeing Caterpie nod. "Okay, let's get started."

Ash grabbed hold of a branch that had fallen off the ground, holding it out to Caterpie. "Give it a try."

Caterpie began to nibble on the branch, leaving small teeth marks on the branch.

"You need to bite it, Caterpie." Ash instructed.

Caterpie nodded, and began to take larger chunks from the branch.

"There you go, keep going." He smiled. It was good to see Caterpie take instructions so well.

He continued with Caterpie for a while, making sure that the bug was making progress. After some time with his new addition, he left the bug to his training and went to check on his other Pokemon. He went to Pikachu first.

He watched his partner pull electricity from his body, encasing himself with the energy. Pikachu's body seemed to glow with power. He watched as the electricity receded back into the small rodent's body, giving Pikachu a boost of energy.

"Pika!" It cried with content.

"You got it, Pikachu! That's what Charge is supposed to do." Ash smiled, picking up his partner and hugging him. "Well done."

"Chaaaa!" Pikachu cooed under the affection.

Ash laughed and placed the electric type back down, smiling. "You did an awesome job, Pikachu. I want you to keep using Charge, to get used to the feeling. Once you're done, I've got something else for you."

"Pika!" Pikachu saluted, returning to his training.

Ash moved to Spearow, who was attacking a nearby tree. He watched as his avian friend faltered in the air during her barrage of attacks.

"Spearow, stop." Ash commanded.

Spearow landed on the ground, pouting at her trainer. She was still able to train...

Ash walked over and picked up the small bird, carrying her towards his backpack. "You're doing great, Spearow. I think you deserve a little break." He stated, nonchalantly.

Spearow squawked in protest, but her trainer wasn't hearing any of it.

"I told you to be careful. I want you to get better sooner rather than later." He scolded. He knelt before his pack, pulling out a potion.

"Spearow..." She mumbled softly. She didn't want her trainer mad at her...

Ash gave his Pokemon a soft smile, spraying her with the medicine. "I want you to take a break, okay? Take a small nap, or just relax while the Potion does its stuff." He instructed. "Hopefully tomorrow you'll be battling again."

Spearow pouted, but didn't fight. She knew her trainer was right; she needed to get better if she wanted to battle again. She hopped over to Ash's pack, jumping inside of it. She nestled in the bag, fluffing out her feathers in comfort.

Ash chuckled at his bird's actions, walking to his final Pokemon. He saw Poliwag sending the pink waves towards a tree trunk. The waves were bigger than they had been the last couple of days, which made Ash smile.

"Good job, Poliwag! Your hypnosis is coming along nicely." He praised.

Poliwag turned to his trainer, blushing at the praise.

"I want you to use your hypnosis on me. I want to see how much stronger it's gotten." He said, sitting in front of his aquatic Pokemon. "If I fall asleep, go ahead and wake me up."

Poliwag nodded, taking a deep breath. His eyes glowed a soft pink, waves flowing towards Ash.

Ash stared into Poliwag's eyes, the waves hitting him directly. The waves didn't hurt, it just felt like puffs of air hitting his face. Ash could feel himself start to nod off, his eyes growing heavy. After a few moments of staring at his Poliwag, Ash was sound asleep.

Poliwag jumped up and down, cheering in success. He walked over to his trainer, and nudged the boy's side. When Ash didn't wake up, Poliwag tried a different approach. He stood in front of his trainer, giving a snicker; he took a deep breath and released a low pressured water gun, hitting his trainer in the face.

Ash flailed in surprise, coughing when the water stopped. "P-Poliwag?! Why'd you do that?"

Poliwag snickered again. "Poli! Poli Poli Poli!"

Ash shook the water from his face and hair, staring at the amphibian. He understood; Poliwag did it. Ash beamed, jumping to his feet. "You did it Poliwag! You put me to sleep!" He cheered, picking up the small Pokemon. He hugged Poliwag, laughing in happiness.

Poliwag was laughing as well, happy to have finally gotten the hang on hypnosis.

Ash smiled, putting Poliwag down. "I'm very proud of you, Poliwag. You finally got the hang of hypnosis. But there's still always room for improvement. You can always work on it's accuracy, and even increase its potency."

Poliwag nodded, giving him a determined look.

Ash laughed, patting the top of the blue Pokemon's head. "Don't worry. We'll work more on it later. Right now, I want you to work on your tail's strength." He smiled, grabbing the rope and a rock. He tied the rock to Poliwag's tail, nodding. "Alright, buddy. Do about 30 minutes of tail curls. Then take a break; you've worked hard today."

Poliwag nodded, getting to work on his newest task.

Ash stepped away and looked at all his Pokemon; he was proud. They all work so hard, and put in so much effort. He clenched his fists, determination filling himself to the core. He would do right by his Pokemon. He would.

.

.

Dinner time rolled around, and all of Ash's Pokemon were wiped out. They all ate in relative silence, mostly because his Pokemon were shoveling food in their faces. Ash sat with his dinner in his hands, observing his team.

Pikachu had finally learned Charge. He still needed to master it, but it was a huge milestone for his Pokemon.

Spearow was on the mend, but was still making progress with fury attack. Another good night's rest, and she would be as good as new.

Poliwag had made significant progress with his hypnosis, which pleased Ash greatly. The strength in his tail was also building, which meant he would soon be ready to learn double slap.

Finally, his newest addition, Caterpie was full of determination. He was able to get the hang of the new move, but it was something they would still need to work on.

All in all, Ash was very proud of his team, and was looking forward to his gym battle in Pewter City. He was still worried about the match; only one of his Pokemon had the type advantage. He was seriously considering skipping the Pewter Gym until later, wanting to have a few other Pokemon in his arsenal.

Pikachu, who had finished his dinner, saw the thoughtful look on his trainer's face. He walked over, and pat the boy's knee.

"Pikachu?"

Ash looked down at Pikachu and smiled, scratching behind his ears. "I'm okay, Pikachu. Just thinking."

"Pika Ka Chu?" The mouse's head tilted as he stared up at the raven-haired teen.

"Well...alright. How do you guys feel about skipping Pewter City's Gym?" Ash asked gently. He flinched, hearing his Pokemon squawk and cry in protest. He chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. Nevermind. Forget I asked."

He looked at his Pokemon, seeing their faces full of concern.

"Alright, here me out. I think you guys will do awesome. You guys have been training really hard, and I'm super proud of you guys. But..." Ash took a deep breath and continued. "Poliwag is the only one with a type advantage. I know type isn't everything but it definitely helps." He sighed. "So, it's up to you guys. Do you want to wait, or do you want to take on the Gym?"

His team look at each other, their eyes telling of their decisions. They turned back to Ash, nodding.

Pikachu smiled, patting Ash's knee again. "Pi Pikachu!"

Ash chuckled. "Alright then. Well, we better train like there's no tomorrow." He smiled.

.

.

The next morning, Ash was back on his way through the forest with Pikachu on his shoulder. The thought of the Pewter Gym was still looming over his head, but he couldn't help but feel better about his match. After his Pokemon confidently agreed to take on the gym, he couldn't help but feel that the confidence was contagious. He was brought out of his thoughts hearing a loud caw above.

Ash looked up, seeing a black avian figure flying above. He watched the bird fly to a nearby tree; it was a larger bird with brown and cream feathers. It had a red crest, and a red and yellow tail. It watched Ash and Pikachu with a distrusting look.

Ash's eyes widened as he stared at the bird. "Woah...a Pidgeotto!" Ash cried with awe.

"Pika..." Pikachu blinked.

Despite the Pidgey line liking to nest in dense forest areas, Pidgeottos were still a rare sight in the Viridian Forest. Ash looked at his partner out of the corner of his eye and gave a short nod.

Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder, firing off a thundershock.

The Pidgeotto dodged the attack, taking to the skies. It cried out towards Ash and Pikachu, diving down at them. The avian's wings glowed a with a silvery light, slamming them into the electric mouse. Pikachu cried out, flying backwards.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, running over to his fallen friend. "You okay, buddy?"

"Pika!" He nodded.

"Okay. Pikachu, use Charge!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu nodded, electricity covering his body. After a few moments, the electricity receded and Pikachu looked riled up.

Ash saw the Pidgeotto circling back around, diving down for another attack. "Pikachu use Thundershock!"

Pikachu leaped up in the air, and fired off the electric attack with a cry of its name.

The Pidgeotto squawked in pain, feeling the electricity go through its body. After the electricity dissipated, Pidgeotto fell.

Ash grabbed a Pokeball from his belt and threw it at the bird. The ball hit the avian, sucking it in with a red light. The ball fell, hitting the ground with a solid 'thunk.' The ball wiggled, the button flashing red. Ash held his breath, watching the ball rock back and forth. After a few tense seconds, the ball stopped wiggling and 'dinged.'

Ash smiled and walked over to the ball, picking up. He turned to his partner, smiling at the Pikachu. "We did it, buddy!"

"Pi Pikachu!" He cried, giving Ash a victory pose.

Ash smiled, kneeling before his partner. "You were awesome, Pikachu. Using charge really amped up your Thundershock."

Pikachu blushed, rubbing the back of his head.

Ash chuckled, and pet his Pokemon's head. "You did awesome. Come on, we're almost at the end of th-"

"You! Trainer!"

Ash and Pikachu turned towards the voice, seeing a boy dressed in a samurai outfit. Ash stood up, staring at the odd boy.

"Can I help you?" He asked, still taken back by this boy's strange attire. Ash noticed that there was a sword tied to the "samurai's" waist, which put Ash and Pikachu on edge.

"Are you a trainer from Pallet Town?" The boy yelled, pointing at Ash.

"Uh...yeah." Ash said, narrowing his eyes. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable being near this boy. He was weird, and having a sword didn't help either.

"Excellent! I challenge you to a battle!" He yelled, grabbing a Pokeball that was tied on the other side of his waist.

Ash shrugged, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt. "Fine by me." He smiled down at Pikachu, patting his head. "You should sit this out, Pikachu. You just finished battling Pidgeotto."

Pikachu nodded, standing beside his trainer.

Ash looked at Samurai, narrowing his eyes again. "Two-on two battle. And don't pull out your sword, okay?"

The samurai boy chuckled. "Do not be afraid, Trainer. The sword is merely a replica. It would not be able to cut you."

Ash felt a little better hearing that. He took a deep breath and threw his Pokeball.

"Spearow!" The small bird cried out, staring down the samurai boy.

"A wise choice, Trainer. But your bird does not compare to my prized Pokemon!" The samurai exclaimed, throwing his Pokeball.

A large brown Pokemon with two spiky pincers on its head stood before Ash and Spearow. A hiss escaped through its oblong, horizontally-toothed mouth.

"W-Woah...a Pinsir." Ash said in awe. He pulled out his Pokedex, scanning the large bug.

" _ **Pinsir: the Stag Beetle Pokemon. This fearsome Pokemon uses its powerful pincers to squeeze its opponents until they are torn in half."**_

Ash shivered, hearing the Pokedex's description of Pinsir. He shook the fear that was creeping up, away.

"Alright, Spearow! Use Growl!"

Spearow took a deep breath, releasing a shrill cry.

Ash watched as the Pinsir cringed at the sound, shivering slightly. He smirked; this was good. Ash had studied a few Pinsir back at Professor Oak's lab, some of which had the ability Hyper Cutter. Hyper Cutter stopped moves like Growl from affecting it and lowering the attack stat. But considering that Pinsir was cowering, it meant that Pinsir had its secondary ability, Mold Breaker.

The samurai boy frowned, not liking the position his Pinsir was in. "Pinsir! Use Vice Grip!" He called out.

"Use Peck!" Ash commanded.

As the Pinsir rushed Spearow, its pincers opening and closing threateningly, Spearow flew up high. The Pinsir stopped, looking up as the small Avian circled above. Spearow dove down, its beak elongated and glowing. It plowed its beak into the bug's large body, forcing the beetle to move backwards.

"Use Bind, Pinsir!" Samurai cried out.

The large bug rushed the bird, grabbing Spearow with its skinny, clawed hands. The Pinsir began to squeeze the small bird against its wide body.

Spearow squawked in pain.

Ash bit his lip, thinking of a way to get out of the situation. "Spearow! Try and use peck!"

Spearow groaned, trying to move out of the bug's grasp, but couldn't. She looked at the larger Pokemon through squinted eyes, her beak elongating and glowing,. She reared her head back and thrust her beak into the Pinser's body. Pinsir let go, flinching at the sharp pain in his abdomen. Spearow flew away from the bug, waiting for its next command.

"Pinser! Use Vice Grip!" Samurai ordered.

"Dodge it Spearow! Then use Leer!"

Spearow flew away from the charging Pinsir, dodging its attack once again. She looked down at the giant bug, her eyes glowed an eerie yellow as she narrowed them.

Pinsir looked up, cowering at the look the Spearow was giving him.

"Shake it off, Pinsir!" Samurai yelled, trying to get through to his Pokemon.

"Don't let it, Spearow! Use peck!" Ash yelled up at his Pokemon.

Spearow's beak enlarged and she dove at the Pinsir. She rammed her beak into the bug's large body, causing the bug the fall.

The Pinsir landed with a _thud_ , its eyes closed in pain.

Samurai sighed, recalling his large Pokemon. "You have fought well, my friend." He looked up at Ash, smirking. "Your Spearow is a very formidable opponent." He said putting Pinsir's Pokeball away and pulling another one out.

Ash smiled proudly. "Thank you. Your Pinsir was awesome. Did you get it at the Safari Zone?"

Samurai shook his head. "No. I caught my friend in Johto when I attended a bug catching contest."

Ash nodded. "I see." He waved for Spearow to come down, holding his arm out for her. She landed, and Ash started scratching under her beak. "You did awesome, Spearow."

She cawed happily, enjoying the attention from her trainer.

Ash smiled and pulled out her Pokeball, pointing it at Spearow. "Take a good rest, okay?" He said as he returned her. He clipped her ball back to his belt, and grabbed another Pokeball.

Samurai smirked. "You may have defeated my first Pokemon, but you won't beat this one. I caught this one not too long ago." He said throwing the ball in the air.

The ball opened, and a green cocoon-like Pokemon appeared.

"Heh, it's kind of ironic you chose a Metapod." Ash smirked. He threw his own Pokeball, and Caterpie appeared.

Samurai chuckled. "It appears so. Your Caterpie looks very healthy."

Ash thanked the boy, still smirking. "Caterpie, use Tackle." He commanded.

Catierpie scuttled over to the cocoon, ramming his head into its evolution. The Metapod fell over from the attack, but still looked like it could continue.

"Metapod use harden!" Samurai yelled.

Metapod's body glowed slightly, and his body hardened up.

The rest of the battle pretty much went the same; Caterpie would tackle Metapod, and the Metapod would use Harden. The battle was boring and monotonous, but Caterpie won the match.

Ash smiled brightly, excited for his small bug Pokemon to win his first official match. Ash went to congratulate his friend, but Caterpie exploded with light.

Ash gasped, not expected this to happen yet. "No way..."

Samurai's eyes widened as well. "You're Caterpie..."

"Pika..." Pikachu cooed in awe.

After a few moments, the light died down and a Metapod sat where Caterpie once did.

"Metapod." He called out.

Ash ran up to his friend, picking him up. "I can't believe it, Metapod! You evolved!" He cried out, jumping up and down with excitement.

Pikachu was next to his trainer, crying out with congratulations.

Metapod blushed, giving his friends an eye smile.

Samurai approached Ash after recalling his own Metapod. "Congratulations, Ash. You have quite the Pokemon."

"Thanks Samurai." He smiled. "What are you going to do now?"

"I think I will stay in Viridian Forest a little while longer. I want to train my Pokemon, and see if my Metapod will evolve." Samurai nodded.

Ash smiled, bidding farewell to the trainer. He looked down at his Metapod, smiling from ear to ear. "I'm so proud of you Metapod. You did such a good job."

"Met Metapod." The cocoon Pokemon blushed.

Ash chuckled, and stroked the bug's hard casing. He decided to keep Metapod out of his Pokeball, still ecstatic over his evolution. Once Pikachu reclaimed his position on his shoulder, Ash continued on his way through the forest with a smile on his face.


	5. Kanto 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Hey guys! How's it goin? Sorry about the late chapter. Life has kicked my ass, lately. But, hopefully, I can get my ass in gear and start producing more chapters. Anyways, here's the fourth chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Special thanks to my Beta, Chibiusa.**

Ash's journey through the Viridian Forest neared it's end as he noticed the trees beginning to thin out. He had recalled his newly evolved Metapod back to his Pokeball, letting his friend get some well deserved rest. After finally clearing the forest, Ash walked into an open field with the sun setting behind it.

Ash took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. "It's kinda nice being back out in the open, huh Pikachu?"

"Pikachu." The mouse nodded, happy to be out of the claustrophobic forest.

Ash pulled out his Pokegear, pulling up the "Map" app. After putting in his location, he watched the map enlarge until it zoomed in on his location.

"Well...according to the map, it looks like we're still several miles away from Pewter City." He said to his companion. "We could keep going, but we wouldn't make it to the Pokemon Center until late tonight. Or we can camp out one more night." He suggested.

Pikachu frowned at his trainer.

"Alright, alright. Pewter City it is." He chuckled.

"Uh-uh...excuse me..." A boy said quietly, wringing the bottom hem of his shirt.

Ash turned and looked at the nervous boy. "Can I help you?"

"Uh...uh I was uhm...wondering...i-if y-you'd have a battle with me." The young boy grabbed a Pokeball off his belt, his hands shaking.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're fit to battle? You look nervous. If you're nervous it'll make your Pokemon nervous."

The boy flinched slightly, slowly lowering his gaze. "I-I'm s-sorry..."

Ash chuckled. "It's no problem."

The took a deep breath and stared at Ash. "My name is Josh. I ch-challenge you to a battle." He said a bit more confidently.

Ash nodded, facing the boy as he drew a Pokeball.

"Fine by me. How about a 1-on-1?" Ash suggested.

The boy nodded, tentatively throwing his Pokeball in the air. After the light faded, a yellow and black Pokemon buzzed at Ash.

"A Beedrill...not bad." Ash smirked, pulling out his Pokedex.

" _ **Beedrill: The Poison Bee Pokemon. Beedrill fly quickly and attack using poison stingers on their forelegs and tail."**_

Ash smiled, putting Dexter away. "Very impressive, having a Beedrill."

Josh blushed, giving him a hesitant smile. "My Dad gave him to me as a Weedle. He's been my best friend for a long time."

The bee Pokemon buzzed over to his trainer, nuzzling the boy's cheek, then returned to his battle position. One wouldn't expect such an aggressive, territorial Pokemon to be so affectionate; it was actually quite adorable to see.

Ash chuckled, smiling at his younger opponent. He threw his own Pokeball, Metapod appearing before their opponents.

"Ready when you are." Ash nodded.

"Beedrill, use Fury Attack." Josh commanded quietly.

The Beedrill dove at Metapod, using its arm stingers to attack the other bug.

"Metapod! Use Harden!" Ash commanded.

Metapod's body shined, it's cocoon body becoming rock hard. The Beedrill's stingers hit Metapod's body, though it looked like it didn't do much.

"Metapod, use tackle!"

Metapod jumped up, ramming it's body into the Beedrill, causing it to bumble backwards.

"B-Beedrill! Are you okay?" Josh asked, concerned for it's friend. When Beedrill nodded, the boy sighed in relief. "Okay, use Poison Sting!"

Beedrill buzzed, flying down at the Metapod. It moved it's body so its tail stinger was pointed at its fellow bug.

"Metapod! Dodge it!" Ash called out.

Metapod tried to dodge, jumping out the way, but the Beedrill was too fast, and its tail stinger punctured it.

Metapod cried out in pain, falling to its side.

Both Ash and his opponent saw the hole in Metapod's hide, causing their eyes to widen considerably.

"M-Metapod...?" Ash called out hesitantly.

A bright, silvery light erupted from the hole in Metapod's body, causing the trainers to shield their eyes. After a few moments, Ash heard a cry he hadn't heard before. He looked back towards where Metapod was, seeing that he was, in fact, no longer a Metapod. Ash stared in awe as he stared at the butterfly-like Pokemon fluttering before him.

"B-Butterfree..." Ash choked out. "Yeah! You evolved, Butterfree! I'm so proud!"

Butterfree fluttered happily in front of Ash, cooing in joy. He turned around, narrowing his eyes at the Beedrill.

"Right, we're still battling. Get ready, Butterfree."

Josh felt relief knowing that he hadn't seriously hurt his opponent's Pokemon. It was also an amazing sight to see the newly evolved Butterfree.

"Beedrill, use tackle!"

The bee Pokemon rushed its opponent, missing its target as the Butterfree dodged the attack.

Butterfree's red eyes glowed a light blue, sending a beam of a similar color at the Beedrill.

Beedrill cried out in pain, feeling the full force of the attack.

"Oh no, Beedrill!"

Ash could only stare in awe. ' _That was Confusion..._ ' Ash thought, watching the battle.

"Butterfree, use tackle!" Ash commanded, seeing the Beedrill was weakened.

Butterfree rushed the other bug, ramming its head into the bee Pokemon. The Beedrill flew back into a tree, slowly sliding down the trunk.

"Beedrill!" Josh cried. He ran over to his friend, seeing that his poor Pokemon was down for the count. He sighed, giving his fainted Pokemon a soft smile. "You did amazing, Beedrill. Take a good rest." He said, recalling his fallen Pokemon.

"I can't believe it, Butterfree!" Ash cheered, gently holding his newly evolved Pokemon. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered, giving his friend a victory pose.

Butterfree blushed, feeling really happy about Ash's statement.

Josh came up to Ash, holding his hand out to his opponent. "Thank you for the battle. It helped me a lot."

Ash smiled, taking the boy's hand. "No problem. Honestly, I wouldn't have won if Butterfree hadn't evolved. You and your Beedrill are really awesome."

Josh blushed again, rubbing the back of his head with a chuckle. "Thanks. It's kind of funny. Beedrill and I battled this girl the other day, and her Beedrill wiped the floor with us."

Ash blinked, raising an eyebrow. "A girl with a Beedrill? What was her name?"

"She said her name was Leaf. She was really strong." He said, the blush growing in his cheeks. He kicked a nonexistent rock in front of him.

Ash stared at the boy with a raised eyebrow. "Leaf, huh? Looks like she's ahead of me." He chuckled. "Good ol' Leaf."

"Thank you for the battle, Ash. I better get to Pewter City as soon as I can. Beedrill needs to get looked at." Josh smiled. He ran ahead, waving goodbye to Ash.

Ash chuckled, waving back. Pikachu and Butterfree waved as well. "Well...I was going to suggest going together, but it looks like it's only us." He smiled. He recalled Butterfree, thanking him for his effort in battle.

Ash clipped Butterfree's ball back to his belt, had Pikachu reclaim his spot on his shoulder, and continued through the northern part of Route 2 towards Pewter City. It was well past dark when Ash made it to the Pokemon Center. Reading the time on his Pokegear, made him almost flinch.

"Sorry we're here so late, Pikachu." Ash apologized.

Pikachu gently pat Ash's cheek, yawning in response.

"Don't worry. I'll get us a room soon." He walked up to the front desk, ringing a bell that was conveniently placed there.

"Hello?" He called out.

Nurse Joy poked her head out of her office, looking half awake. "Hello, and wel-" She was cut off from her introduction with a yawn, before continuing. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center. How can I help you?"

"Sorry for coming in so late, Nurse Joy. Do you have any rooms available?" He asked wearily.

Joy nodded, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a key. "Here you go. If you need anything, let me or one of the other Nurse's know, okay?"

Ash was going to nod, but froze. "They're other Nurse Joy's here?"

Joy chuckled, nodding her head. "I'm one of the night shift Joys. I'm Kathy Joy. My second cousin Carol, younger sister Shannon, and first cousin Evelyn work during the day."

Ash nodded. "Oh, okay. I always figured it was one Joy per Pokemon Center."

Nurse Joy nodded, smiling. "In some of the more rural areas there is only one Joy. They don't have funding like some of the bigger cities to have more than one nurse."

Ash nodded, trying and failing to hold back a yawn.

Joy laughed at the boy in front of her. "I think I've talked enough. Why don't you go to bed?"

Ash nodded, smiling. "Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash walked to the lodging quarters, where he found his room and quickly went inside.

Once inside the room, Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder, and nestled himself on the bed. Ash rolled his eyes, chuckling at his partner's antics. He decided to have a quick shower before going to bed. Once clean, he changed into his pajamas, and climbed into bed, where Pikachu was already sound asleep.

.

.

The next morning, Ash woke up feeling well rested. He sat up, stretching the stiffness out of his system. He turned and looked by his pillow, seeing that Pikachu was still sleeping. He gently shook his partner, waking the yellow mouse.

"Come on Pikachu, it's time to get up."

Pikachu grumbled a little and opened his eyes. He let out a yawn, greeting his trainer.

Ash chuckled, petting the top of Pikachu's head. "Come on, buddy. I need to have Nurse Joy take a look at everyone, then we can get breakfast."

Pikachu nodded, stretching out the last bit of sleep.

Ash changed into a clean set of clothes, putting his dirty ones into the small washing machine in the bathroom. Grabbing his pack, Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, and he left the room. Ash walked to the front desk, seeing Nurse Joy talking with someone. As he got closer, he recognized the person at the counter.

"Leaf?"

Leaf turned around, seeing Ash behind her. She smiled brightly, giving him a small wave. "Hey, Ash! I'm glad to see you."

Ash smiled, walking up to the girl. "I know. How's your journey goin'?"

"So far, so good!" Leaf beamed. "I just came back from Route 3. I caught a Jigglypuff!" She gushed.

"Nice! Have you caught any other Pokemon?" Ash asked, leaning on the counter.

"Yup! They're being checked out by Nurse Joy right now, though. Jigglypuff put most of my Pokemon to sleep." She grumbled with a pout.

Ash smiled. "I actually have to get my Pokemon checked out. My Pokemon have been battling a lot lately, and I caught a new Pokemon in Viridian Forest, and it needs some attention." The boy nodded.

With fantastic timing, Nurse Joy cut in. "You need Pokemon healed up?" She asked.

Ash nodded, unclipping his Pokeballs from his belt, and handing her his Pokeballs. Pikachu stayed in Ash's shoulder, feeling good enough not to need her services. "Thanks, Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy nodded, putting the Pokeballs on a tray. "Alright, you two. I'll call your names when your Pokemon are ready." She said with a bow of her head and walking to the back.

Leaf and Ash walked to the Cafeteria to grab breakfast and catch up. Once they got their food and a table, they sat down to eat.

"So, Ash. Tell me about your journey so far." Leaf said, taking a bite of her veggie omelette.

"Well...the start of my journey was pretty eventful." He chuckled, putting ketchup on his hash-browns. He put a tiny dollop on Pikachu's nose as a joke.

Pikachu pouted, licking up the red substance. Unseen by the two teens, big hearts formed in Pikachu's eyes from the taste of ketchup.

"On the first day of my journey, I caught a Poliwag and a Spearow." He said, taking a bite of his fried egg. "I also got caught up in that storm."

Leaf's eyes widened, swallowing her food. "Seriously, Ash? Did you learn nothing from Professor Oak?" She scolded.

"I was fine." he said waving her off. "The next morning, Pikachu and I saw this Pokemon flying over the rainbow, and it was really beautiful." Ash chuckled. "Anyways, then Gary challenged me to a battle and apparently he's got this...stupid rare Spearow." he said shaking his head.

"A rare Spearow? Is it shiny?!" Leaf gasped.

"No, it's not. Apparently it has the King's Nature, which means it's a lot bigger than it usually is." Ash explained, taking a bite of his hash-browns.

Leaf's eyes widened, staring at Ash in shock. "How did he find it?"

"No idea. But it's strong, I'll tell you that much. Anyways, after that and some training, I went into Viridian Forest. I caught a Caterpie that evolved into a Butterfree and a Pidgeotto. I also met this girl named Misty. She was really cool. A little rough around the edges, though." He laughed. He ate his eggs, not noticing Leaf stiffening up.

Leaf cleared her throat, giving Ash a slightly forced smile. "Oh, really? Why do say that?" She said, giving her omelette a rough stab.

Ash blinked at Leaf's food, raising an eyebrow at her. "Uuuh...well..." He said clearing his throat. "My Butterfree, who was a Caterpie, had jumped out of a tree and onto her face." He laughed. Ash told Leaf the rest of the story. After he finished the story, Leaf was visibly more relaxed.

"I see what you mean." Leaf laughed. She looked at Ash's Pokemon partner and swallowed hard. "Uh...Ash?" She said pointing to the small yellow mouse.

Ash looked at his partner and gasped. "Pikachu!" Ash gasped.

Pikachu's face was covered in the red, tomato paste as he tried to lick up more of the delectable substance.

Ash frowned and snatched the ketchup from his partner. "Pikachu! You can't eat ketchup!"

Pikachu's eyes widened, and he tried to take his delicious treat back, but Ash continued to keep it away.

"Pikachu!" Ash scolded. "This isn't good for you. You might think it tastes good, but it could make you sick!" He reprimanded, keeping the ketchup out of reach.

Pikachu tried to give Ash the cutest puppy growlithe eyes he could muster, but Ash remained firm. Pikachu sighed, apologizing for his behavior.

Ash sighed, giving his partner a soft smile. He took a napkin and wiped away the mess on the mouse's fur. "It's okay, Pikachu. Just...try and stay away from it okay? Human food isn't always good for Pokemon." He said, taking off the last bit of ketchup on Pikachu's cheek.

"Pika!" He cried, giving his trainer the affirmative.

" _Will Ash Ketchum and Leaf Green please report to the front desk. Your Pokemon are ready for pick up."_

Ash and Leaf finished their lunch, walking back to the Pokemon Center's front desk.

"Hey, Nurse Joy." Ash smiled. "Ash Ketchum and Leaf Green here to pick up our Pokemon."

Joy nodded and smiled, reaching under her desk. Joy pulled out two trays filled with Pokeballs with Ash's and Leaf's name on it. "Here you go. Your Pokemon are good to go."

Ash and Leaf took their Pokemon, smiling. Thanks, Nurse Joy." Leaf said.

"Yeah, thanks Nurse Joy." Ash reiterated. He turned to Leaf, smiling. "Come on. I need to introduce myself to my new Pokemon." He smiled.

The two teens ran outside to the battlefield, happy that no one was there. Ash took Pidgeotto's Pokeball, opening it.

The larger avian appeared in a flash of light, standing before its trainer. Pidgeotto took in it's surroundings, noticing a girl standing beside the boy. It looked up at Ash, tilting it's head to the side.

"Hi, Pidgeotto. I'm Ash, and I'm your new trainer. My dream is to be a Pokemon Master, but first I'm trying to make it through the Indigo League. Will you help me with that goal?" Ash asked, kneeling in front of the bird.

Pidgeotto's eyes widened. Bird Pokemon were rather proud specimens; only allying themselves with the strongest possible partners. It knew Ash wasn't strong yet, but it could trust Ash to not only grow stronger, but help it grow stronger as well. Pidgeotto nodded, giving the boy a delighted chirp.

Ash smiled. "Awesome!" He beamed. "This is Leaf, a friend of mine. And this is Pikachu, my very first Pokemon." He said, pointing to each individual.

"Pikachu!" He greeted, waving to the larger avian.

Pidgeotto greeted each one with a nod of its head. It tilted its head to the side, seeing Ash pull out a device, pointing it at it.

" _ **Pidgeotto: the Bird Pokemon, and the evolved form of Pidgey. It is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture its prey. Gender: Male. Ability: Big Pecks. Moveset: Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Steel Wing."**_

Ash smiled, putting Dexter away. "Welcome to the team, Pidgeotto. I want to introduce you to the rest of my team, okay?" Seeing his new Pokemon nod, he three other Pokeballs into the air. They popped open, revealing Ash's other Pokemon.

The three Pokemon looked up at Ash, smiling. Ash smiled back, motioning to Pidgeotto. "Guys, this is Pidgeotto. He's going to be joining us on our journey. Go ahead and introduce yourselves."

Poliwag walked up, bouncing up and down on his little feet. He gave Pidgeotto a very bubbly welcome. Butterfree, nodded his head, giving him a more subdued, but still friendly introduction. Spearow, on the other hand, looked away from Pidgeotto, glaring up at Ash.

"Oh, don't be that way, Spearow." He frowned. "Pidgeotto is a part of this team, so you'll just have to like it. I'm not going to let your pride get in the way of this." Ash scolded.

Spearow pouted, her cheeks puffing slightly. She turned to to Pidgeotto, grumbling her introduction.

Ash sighed, looking back at Pidgeotto. "Sorry about her. She's a pretty particular Pokemon." He chuckled. Ash smiled, looking at Leaf. "Leaf, meet my Pokemon."

All of Ash's Pokemon, including Spearow greeted the girl. Leaf chuckled, smiling at Ash's Pokemon.

"Nice to meet you all." She said with a bow of her head. She smiled, pulling out her Pokeballs. "Now let me introduce you to my Pokemon." She said, throwing the Pokeballs in the air.

The four ball opened up, revealing Leaf's team. Leaf smiled, kneeling down next to them. "Everyone, meet Bulbasaur, Beedrill, Pikachu, and Jigglypuff!" She beamed.

Ash's eyes widened slightly. "Woah...you caught a Pikachu?"

Leaf giggled. "Yeah. She kind of found me, honestly. I was in the forest when that storm hit, and Pikachu just ran out and started playing in the rain." She smiled, stroking the top of Pikachu's head. Bulbasaur and I battled her, and she became the third member of my team. Beedrill was my first; I caught him as a Weedle." She said, motioning to the bee Pokemon. "Jigglypuff is my newest addition. She's a real sweetheart." She said, picking up the round, pink Pokemon, giving it a gentle hug.

Jigglypuff cried out with joy, waving it's nubby arms happily.

Ash chuckled. "Well, it's nice to meet all of you." The boy smiled. He knelt down, petting the top of Bulbasaur's head, who was rather happy for the attention. "Nice to see you again, Bulbasaur. Are you keeping Leaf out of trouble?"

"Bulba Saur!" He cried, smiling up at the boy.

Leaf pouted, giving Jigglypuff a little squeeze."I haven't gotten into any trouble..." She mumbled. "Anyways Ash, you here to challenge the gym leader?"

Ash nodded, a confident smirk plastered on his face. "Yup. Me and my Pokemon need to do some serious training. I wanted to take him on tomorrow." He nodded again.

Leaf nodded. "I understand. Who are you going to use?"

"Poliwag, for sure. He's got a type advantage, so that will help me big time." Ash nodded, looking at his Pokemon. All his Pokemon were raring to go, he knew. But he needed to go into this with a level head. "I'm thinking Butterfree and Pidgeotto..."

He flinched when he heard Spearow squawk her opinion. Obviously, she wasn't too happy about it. Ash sighed, kneeling down. "It's not that I don't want to use you, Spearow. You've been training really hard, and I'm really proud of you...but you're at a disadvantage. Actually, all but Poliwag are at a disadvantage."

"Spear Spearow Spearow!" She squawked more, puffing out her feathers in a pout.

Ash chuckled, gently petting Spearow's breast. "You see, Butterfree's status moves could be really useful; so could his confusion, come to think of it. And Pidgeotto has Steel Wing, which is super effective against rock types. It's not you, Spearow. I promise." He chuckled.

Spearow's feathers flattened, accepting the answer; though she was still unhappy about it. Ash chuckled, standing upright. He looked at his Pokemon, smiling. "Alright, so it's Poliwag, Butterfree and Pidgeotto."

"Hey Ash, wait a second..." Leaf said softly, breaking him from his thoughts. "Don't forget, Gym Leaders use a different assortment of Pokemon depending on the level of trainer." She reminded.

Ash nodded, gentling gripping his chin with his thumb and forefinger; thinking. _'That's right. It's up to the Leader's digression on what Pokemon they use and how many.'_ He turned, looking at his female friend. "Leaf, is there any way to look up and see Brock's team?"

Leaf smiled. "Yup! Follow me." She said, recalling all her Pokemon. Ash did the same, following the girl back into the Pokemon Center.

Leaf walked up to one of the computers that Pokemon Center's had for trainers. She went to the trainer website, typing in Brock's name. The website Leaf was using was an information page for all registered trainers. Clicking on the trainer's picture would tell you their status as a trainer, what rank they are how many Pokemon they've caught, what their current team was, videos of important battles, rival claims, and other general information.

Ash watched as she scrolled down his trainer page. Gym Leader's information pages were a little different. They had their general trainer information, and their Gym Leader information.

"Okay...it says here that Gym Leaders have to use their League registered team if a trainer has three or fewer badges. Leaders are able to use their personal teams if an opponent has four or more badges..." She rattled off, looking for Brock's League registered team. "Ah, here we go. Brock's League registered team is Geodude, Onix, and Rhyhorn." Leaf smiled. "Well, there you go, Ash."

Ash smiled, nodding at his friend. "Thanks a lot, Leaf. Think I can use that for a minute?"

Leaf nodded, moving away from the computer. Ash sat down, logging in with his Trainer ID number. He looked up one specific trainer, clicking on his image.

Ash stared at the information, studying the words written on the screen.

"Why'd you look up Gary's profile?" Leaf asked, looking over Ash's shoulder.

"I wanted to see how far Gary's gotten so far. He's already gotten his first badge, and captured...holy crap! He's captured twenty Pokemon so far! How's that possible?" Ash said holding his head in his hands.

Leaf placed a hand on Ash's shoulder, giving him a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Ash. Gary's always been kind of a go-getter. Don't let it get you down."

"Yeah." He smiled. "I'm more of a quality over quantity type of guy, anyways." Ash scrolled up to the top of Gary's trainer page, clicking the rival request button. He began typing in a message, clicking send.

"You sent a formal rival request?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah. Gary and I have been "rivals" since birth. Or at least, that's how everyone panned us out to be. Even when we were friends, we were always paired against each other. I think this will just solidify it. Besides, Gary seems to enjoy in being my rival, constantly trying to one-up me. Why not make it official?"

Ash stood up from the computer, logging out of his trainer page, walking back outside. He released his Pokemon once again, smirking down at them. "Alright guys, today we need to train with everything we got, okay?"

His Pokemon gave a collective cry, ready to give it their all.

Ash nodded. "Alright, here's what we're gunna do. Poliwag, I want you to do a mock battle with Spearow. Work on your aim with bubble and water gun, as well as improving your hypnosis. Spearow, I don't want you to take it easy on Poliwag, but don't hurt him too badly."

The two Pokemon nodded, running off to start their training.

"Butterfree, I want you to work on your Confusion and status powders. I know that your powders are produced with the scales on your wings. I want to make sure they're as potent as they can be." He instructed. "You're going to need to sit and work with the chemical compounds within your wings for that."

Butterfree nodded, going to work on it's Confusion first.

Ash turned to Pikachu. "We're going to work on your speed, Pikachu. We're going to get you working on Quick Attack. I want you to run around the battlefield ten times as fast as you can, okay?"

Pikachu nodded, staring his running.

Ash smirked, turning towards his newest addition. "Alright Pidgeotto, we're going to work on Steel Wing. I'm using you, or Butterfree for my upcoming gym battle, and I just want to make sure you're up to par with the rest of my Pokemon."

Pidgeotto nodded, flying off to practice the move.

Ash smirked, watching his Pokemon. He decided to join Pikachu in his run, wanting to be trained up just as much as his Pokemon.

Leaf smiled, watching her friend train with his Pokemon. She remembered fondly how Ash used to be: rash, immature, and very headstrong. Seeing him grow into the person he was today...she turned away from the boy, a pink hue burning her cheeks.

"Saur?" Bulbasaur tilted his head, confused.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's do some of our own training." Leaf smiled, shaking away any thoughts of Ash.

.

.

Ash woke up the next morning raring to go to battle the gym. After waking Pikachu up, showering, changing, and eating, he met Leaf at the front of the Pokemon Center.

"You excited for your gym battle, Ash?" Leaf asked, looking a little tired.

"You bet." He smirked, pumping his fist in the air. He lowered his fist, smiling at his tired friend. "Come on, Leaf. Let's go!"

Leaf chuckled, walking alongside Ash. "Can we grab a coffee, first? I need my energy if I'm going to cheer for you."

Ash laughed at his friend, conceding to her request. The quick detour for coffee and the walk to the gym took around twenty minutes. Despite Pewter City being one of the smaller major cities in Kanto, it still took some time to get from place to place.

Ash entered the gym, seeing a boy sitting at the front desk in the lobby.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pewter City Pokemon Gym. I'm Forrest, What business do you have with the gym?" He asked, standing up out of his chair. The boy looked roughly twelve years old, had brown hair, tan skin, and really squinty eyes.

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. I'm here to challenge the Pewter City Gym Leader." He stated confidently.

Forrest nodded, turning to Leaf. "Are you here to challenge Brock, too?"

Leaf shook her head. "Nope. Just here to show Ash some support."

Accepting the answers, Forrest lead Leaf and Ash into the gym's battle field. "Brock!" The boy called. "You have a challenger!" He called out.

A man came down from a scaffolding above the field, smirking at the duo. "Welcome to the Pewter City Gym. My name is Brock, and I'm the leader of this gym. Who will be challenging me today?"

Ash stepped forward, smiling to the man. He gave the Gym Leader a small bow. "Hello. My name is Ash, and I'm taking on the Indigo League."

Brock nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I see. How many gym badges do you have, Ash?"

"You'll be my first one." He smirked.

Brock moved towards the back wall of the gym. He pushed a button and six pokeballs emerged from a slot in the wall. He picked up two, turning and smirking at Ash.

"Are you ready?"

Ash nodded. "You bet." He turned to Leaf, smiling. "Cheer for me?"

Leaf laughed. "Sure, though I don't think you need it." She teased, gently punching his shoulder. "Come on, Pikachu. We'll cheer for Ash." Leaf smiled, catching Pikachu as he leaped into her arms. She walked over towards the stand, where she sat, waiting for the match to start.

Brock nodded. "Forrest, I want you to judge the match." Seeing his younger brother nod, he turned back to Ash with a determined grin.

"This match is between Ash of Pallet Town, and the Gym Leader: Brock Slate. This will be a two on two match, where only the challenger can make substitutions. Also, Brock will be using his League regulated team. Are both trainers ready?" Forrest asked. Seeing both trainers nod, he raised his hand.

"Begin!" Forrest yelled, lowering his hand.

"Rhyhorn! Go!" Brock called, throwing the pokeball.

The ball opened, and a gray, quadruped Pokemon appeared. Its body was covered in gray, rocky plates, with a spiky ridges on it's back. It had beady red eyes, and a horn on the tip of its snout.

"Rhy!" It roared. Rhyhorn snorted, stomping its foot.

Ash pulled his Pokedex from his back pocket, pointing it at the rock type.

" _ **Rhyhorn: the Spikes Pokemon. Rhyhorn is known for its physical power, and its considerable offensive and defensive skills."**_

Ash nodded, throwing his Pokeball. Butterfree appeared, giving its best battle cry.

"A Butterfree?" Brock shook his head. "Heh...shows how inexperienced you are. Butterfree is really weak to rock types." He educated.

Ash chuckled confidently. "I know, but I believe in Butterfree." He smirked. "Butterfree! Use Sleep Powder!"

Brock frowned, not thinking of the bug's status powders. "Rhyhorn! Get out of the way and use Rock Tomb!" He called out.

Rhyhorn roared and stomped his front feet. Four rocks flew up from the ground, trying to capture the butterfree.

"Butterfree! Fly up!" Ash cried. He watched his trusted Pokemon flew up towards the ceiling, escaping the rock attack. "Way to go, Butterfree! Now, use Poison Powder!"

Butterfree dove towards the Rhyhorn, beating its wings above the rock type. A sparkly, purple powder rained down on the rhinoceros Pokemon.

"Rhyhorn! Don't breathe in those toxins!" Brock cried out.

Rhyhorn did its best to try and shake off the poisonous dust, and not breathe it in, but Rhyhorn ended up succumbing to the toxins. Its rocky plates turned slightly purple, indicating its poisoned status.

"Way to go, Butterfree! Now, Confusion!" Ash yelled.

Butterfree's eyes glowed a light blue, sending a blast of blue light at the Rhyhorn. Rhyhorn looked up at the blast with wide eyes.

Rhyhorn cried out as the psychic attack made contact.

"Rhyhorn!" Brock gasped. "Rhyhorn, shake it off and use horn attack!"

Rhyhorn cringed, feeling the effects of the poison. It looked up and charged at Butterfree, ramming its horn into the small bug.

Butterfree cried out, flying backwards, though regaining its balance in the air.

"You okay, Butterfree?" Ash asked, nervous for his partner.

Butterfree trilled in confidence, fluttering happily in the air.

"Awesome! Use confusion again!" Ask yelled, pointing at the opposing Rhyhorn. Ash smirked as he watched Butterfree's attack hit its opponent.

Rhyhorn crumpled on the ground, its eyes swirly in defeat.

"Rhyhorn is unable to battle! Butterfree is the winner!" Forrest declared, raising his hand towards Ash's direction.

"Yeah! Way to go, Ash! You did awesome!" Leaf cried. She had been nervous, seeing Ash choose Butterfree. She'd hoped he'd open up with Poliwag, but it seemed he made the right decision.

"Pi Pikachu!" His partner cried from the stands.

Ash smiled, waving to his small cheering squad.

Brock recalled his fallen Pokemon, smiling at Ash. "I have to say, I'm impressed. I wasn't expecting a Butterfree to best one of my rock Pokemon." He said, putting Rhyhorn's pokeball in his pocket. He pulled out a second one, extending the ball to full size. "It's obvious you're training it well."

"Heh heh, thanks. Most of my Pokemon, including Butterfree, are weak to rock types. With Butterfree's status powders, I figured I could have a chance if I managed to poison your Pokemon, or put them to sleep." Ash said, adjusting his hat on his head. "I also figured that Confusion would work better against your Pokemon, compared to Gust or Bug Bite." The young boy explained.

Brock nodded, listening to the boy. "Well done, Ash. Most rookie trainers don't take the time to think about type advantages and disadvantages. They're so confident in themselves that they challenge me without a plan. It's good to see you aren't like that."

Ash blushed slightly at the compliment, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh...thanks." Ash smiled, feeling Butterfree land on his head. "You okay for another round, Butterfree?"

"Freeeeee!" It cried, nodding its head.

Brock frowned, his grip on his Pokeball tightening. "Your Butterfree might have defeated my Rhyhorn, but it won't defeat my next Pokemon. Go, Onix!" Brock threw his ball, and erupting in a white light, a large rock snake appeared. The large Pokemon gave a fierce roar, causing Ash and Leaf to shudder at the noise.

Ash, before continuing the battle, again pulled out Dexter to get Onix's general information.

" _ **Onix: the Rock Snake Pokemon. By twisting its large and powerful body, Onix can quickly bore through the ground at fifty miles per hour."**_

Ash put his Pokedex away, focusing on the large rock Pokemon before him. "Okay, Butterfree! You got this! Use Confusion!"

Butterfree's eyes shot the blue beam at the rock snake, hitting it's mark.

"Yeah! Great job!" Ash cheered.

"Onix, Tackle!" Brock commanded.

Onix roared, slithering its large, rock body at the fluttering bug type. It rammed its large head into the small Pokemon, sending it flying backwards.

"Ah! Butterfree!" Ash yelled, turning towards his hurt friend. "Are you able to keep going?" the young boy asked, concerned.

Butterfree fluttered back onto the battlefield, giving Onix a fearless and determined look.

"Oh...it seems your Butterfree isn't as frail as I anticipated." Brock complimented. "However, it's still not strong enough to defeat my Onix. Now, Onix! Use Rock Throw!" The Leader commanded.

"Butterfree! Dodge and use Stun Spore!" Ash shouted, desperate for Butterfree move out of hte way.

Onix slammed its tail on the ground, kicking up several decent sized boulders. It picked up the boulders with its tail, launching them at Butterfree. The small bug type dodged the oncoming rocks, but wasn't able to keep the dodging up for long. Whenever it avoided one rock, another was hurled at it.

Butterfree was hit with one of the rocks, sending it crashing into the ground.

"F-Freee..." Butterfree mumbled as it lay defeated on the field.

"Oh no!" Ash gasped. He sighed, pulling out his companion's Pokeball, recalling it. "You did a great job, Butterfree. Thank you." He minimized the ball, clipping it onto his belt. He grabbed his next Pokeball, throwing it up in the air.

When the ball opened, Poliwag materialized, hopping up and down with joy.

Brock smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I see...going for the type advantage this time?"

Ash nodded, smirking at the leader. "Poliwag! Use Bubble!"

The small, blue Pokemon took a deep breath, releasing a barrage of bubbles from its tiny, pink mouth.

"Onix, dodge! Use Rock Throw!" Brock called out.

The Rock Snake Pokemon roared, moving away from the onslaught of bubbles. It picked up a loose boulder on the ground, hurling it towards Poliwag.

"Poliwag! You have to get out of there!" Ash cried. He watched his Poliwag roll out of the way of the oncoming rock. He sighed in relief. "Okay! Now use Water Gun!"

Poliwag rolled onto his feet, shoot the pressured stream of water at his opponent.

Onix roared in pain as it tried to slither away from the attack. But everywhere it went, Poliwag's Water Gun followed.

"That's great, Poliwag! Now, use Bubble!" Ash shouted, exhilarated by the battle.

While Onix was preoccupied trying to shake off the remnants of water on its body, it was assaulted with an onslaught of bubbles. Onix roared in pain, feeling the bubbles pop on its rocky exterior.

"Onix! Get out of there!" Brock pleaded. _'Onix won't last much longer if this keeps up!'_ "Hurry and use Rock Throw!"

"Use Hypnosis!" Ash commanded.

Before Poliwag could comply with his trainer's command, a large rock crashed into him. Ash gasped, staring at his injured friend. "Poliwag! Can you get up?"

"P-Poli..." He groaned, rolling onto his feet. He stood up straight, glaring at the large rock type.

"Use Water Gun!"

Poliwag jumped into the air, firing the stream of water at Onix. The large rock snake attempted to dodge the attack, but couldn't escape the pressurized jet of water.

Onix roared, writhing in pain as the water soaked its solid exterior. It roared again, falling backwards, crashing into the arena floor.

After the dust settled, Onix lay on the ground motionless, its eyes spiraling with defeat.

"Onix is unable to battle. The winner is Poliwag, which means the match goes to Ash Ketchum!" Forrest declared, pointing to Ash.

Ash stared at the downed Pokemon in front of him, shock etched into his face. "I...I won?" Ash watched as Brock recalled his fallen Pokemon. Poliwag was bouncing up and down, cheering in victory. "We won!" He yelled, running up to Poliwag. He scooped up the little blue ball, hugging it's smooth, yet slimy body.

"I'm so proud of you, Poliwag! You did awesome!" Ash praised. He gasped, feeling Pikachu run up his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek.

"Pi Pikachu!" He cried, pulling away from Ash.

"Congratulations, Ash!" Leaf cheered, running up to her black-haired friend.

Ash smiled, turning to the girl and giving her a high-five. "Thanks, Leaf! I was honestly kind of expecting to lose this and have to try again." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Congratulations, Ash." Brock said, walking up to the younger boy. "You've shown great potential as a new trainer. It is my pleasure to award you the Boulder Badge." He smiled, holding out his hand to Ash, a gray badge in the palm of the Leader's hand.

Ash smiled, picking up the badge, clipping it to the inside of his badge case. "Thank you very much, Brock."

"Follow me to the lobby. I have something else for you." The Gym Leader said, walking towards the front room of the gym.

Ash and Leaf followed, seeing Brock rummage through something at the front desk. He pulled out a small, disk case and handed it to Ash. "Here. This is TM 39. You'll be able to teach Pokemon the move Rock Tomb." He smiled.

Ash took the disk case and opened it, revealing the gray disk. He smiled, closing the case again. "Thank you, Brock." He shook the man's hand and placed the disk in his backpack. If he was going to receive TM's from the gym leaders, he would need to purchase a TM case.

Brock nodded. "I wish you luck on your journey. I look forward to seeing your accomplishments."

Ash blushed slightly, scratching the tip of his nose. "Heheh...thanks, Brock." He turned around to face Leaf, smiling. "Ready?"

Leaf nodded. The duo left the gym, feeling pretty unstoppable.

"So...what are you doing to do now, Ash?" Leaf asked, leaning forward, looking at the tanned boy.

Ash thought a moment, scratching under Pikachu's chin. "Hmmm, well...I was planning on heading to Mt. Moon. I wanted to do some training there before I take on the Cerulean Gym Leader." He nodded, clenching his fist with determination.

Pikachu cooed at the attention, cheering when he heard about another gym battle.

"What about you, Leaf? You headed to Cerulean, too?"

Leaf nodded. "Yup. I want to go to Mt. Moon to see if I can do some research on Clefairy." Leaf smiled. She quickly looked away from Ash, her face turning slightly pink. "Can I ask you something, Ash?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, thinking Leaf's behavior was a little strange. "Sure. You can ask me anything, you know that." He chuckled.

Leaf nodded, swallowing before he spoke. "Can I travel with you?" Her voice was so soft, it was almost like a whisper. Ash had to strain to clearly hear her.

Ash blinked, looking at the girl in shock. Leaf had always talked about how she wanted to travel alone with only her Pokemon. He blushed slightly, scratching the tip of his nose again. "Sure...I don't mind. But, how come? I thought you always wanted to travel with just your Pokemon."

"I thought so, until I finally did. I've only been traveling a really short time, but I don't like being alone. I mean...I'm not alone; I have my Pokemon. But I think...I think I'll be really lonely. So...can I travel with you?"

Ash chuckled, ruffling Leaf's hair. "Of course, Leaf. I'd like that a lot." He smiled warmly.

Leaf smiled back, happy to be traveling with her friend. The two walked back to the Pokemon Center to get ready to start traveling again.

 **~End Chapter**

 **So? What did you guys think? I hoped you liked it. Please comment and review below to let me know if you have any suggestions. Also, the Pokemon have been chosen for Ash and Leaf. I will also need OC characters. I've created one of my own, but I'll need more. I will be doing a St. Anne tournament. NO LEGENDARIES. Don't make you trainer be stupid OP, and limit yourself on the shinies, mkay? For now So please IN A PM, send me the following if you want an OC in my fic:**

 **Name:**

 **Gender:**

 **Age:  
Pokemon:**

 **Rank:**

 **Backstory: (not needed, but you're more than welcome to give one)**

 **Personality:**

 **Thank you! Again, PM me if you want an OC in my fic.**

 **~Lu Lu-Chan25**


	6. Kanto 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Hey Everyone! How's it goin'? Sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter, but I got it up! I got some reviews and DMs saying they wanted Ash to have a certain pokemon, and while I am having Ash capture Pokemon outside of canon, I don't want him being OP. Yes, I think he should be strong, but I'm not going to give Ash** **crazy** **strong Pokemon. I want his Pokemon to grow with him. But a strong Pokemon here and there won't hurt.**

 **A special thanks to my Beta: Chibiusa**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

Ash and Leaf left Pewter City the next morning after gathering some supplies. Their journey through Route 3 was pretty uneventful, considering Leaf had already traveled part of the route. It was a boring journey; rolling hills, trees were few and far between, and the occasional Pokemon. Most of the Pokemon were typical: Rattata, Pidgey, and Spearow. Not bothering with the weak Pokemon, they left them alone, continuing on their excursion.

As they walked along Route 3, Ash battled several trainers that were on their way back to Pewter City. There was even a trainer that used a Magikarp against him.

"I felt so bad for that little Magikarp." Leaf said, concerned for the poor water type.

"Yeah, me too. I mean, I understand that he wanted to train it, but its only known move is Splash, and there was no water. It was kinda cruel." Ash said, looking just as worried as Leaf.

"His Magikarp's nickname was rather cute though. I mean, when it evolves into Gyarados, its nickname will fit really well." Leaf giggled.

"I know. When I heard the kid yell out "Thrasher," I was really worried. I was expecting something like a Gyarados or Ursaring. I definitely wasn't expecting a Magikarp." Ash laughed, linking his hands together behind his head. "Speaking of nicknames, I wonder if any of our Pokemon want any. I haven't thought about it, so I haven't asked mine." Ash said, offhandedly.

Leaf nodded. "Same here. Maybe I should ask them when we stop later."

By the last third of the route, the landscape had changed. Trees were more common, the rolling hills changed to grassy flatlands, and the Pokemon were more scarce.

"This route is longer than I expected." Ash said, pulling out his Pokegear to check the time. "It's later than I thought."

Leaf nodded. "Yeah. I made it a little further than this when I found Jigglypuff. I didn't want to camp out, so I went back to the Pokemon Center." She recalled. "But we will have to camp out tonight."

"Why?" Ash blinked. "I thought there was a Pokemon Center near the entrance to Mt. Moon."

"There is, but it'll take a half-a-day to get there." She sighed. "We have to do a small trek up the mountain to get to the entrance." She said, pointing towards the large mountain. "The route to the entrance is windy and all up-hill, so it'll take us a good part of the day tomorrow to walk it."

Ash nodded, though he wasn't happy about having to deal with that climb tomorrow. "Well then, let's camp at the base of the mountain, and start in the morning."

Leaf agreed, and the duo continued on the finally reached the base of the mountain, finding a clear spot to camp. They dropped their packs, sitting next to them to rest.

"Man...I'm tired." Leaf sighed, grabbing her water bottle for a drink.

"Me too. But we need to set up camp soon, or we'll be pitching our tents in the dark." He teased. "I'm gonna go find some firewood. Why don't you clear the campsite and start pitching the tents."

Leaf sighed, stand up with a stretch. "Fine. Don't be gone too long."

Ash nodded, venturing into the trees to grab some wood.

.

.

After setting up camp and getting a fire started, the two trainers settled in around the fire, making dinner. Leaf sat stirring together the instant stew with water. Ash was with all of their Pokemon, who were let out of their Pokeballs, giving them their dinner.

Leaf looked up at Ash, watching him feed their Pokemon with a smile. His smile was contagious, and one crept onto her face. "So Ash...what's the plan for Mt. Moon?"

Ash looked up, thinking for a moment. "Hmm..." He placed the last two bowls of Pokechow in front of Jigglypuff and Pidgeotto, moving to sit next to Leaf. "Well...We should hit the Pokemon Center tomorrow afternoon. I think it would be best to stay there for the night, then take on Mt. Moon in the morning. While we're there, we could train our Pokemon and make sure they're ready for the mountain."

Leaf nodded. "Alright. Do you think we'll have enough supplies?" She asked, looking towards their packs.

"Well...I think we'll be okay on potions, antidotes, and all those things. But food might be a different story. We'll probably need to stock up on a lot of water." He said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Also, I think we should get those insta-logs."

Leaf gave Ash a funny look. "Insta-logs?"

"You know...those logs that you only need one to burn? You know...the ones that last through the night?" He said, trying his best to explain it.

"They aren't called insta-logs!" She laughed. Leaf clutched her sides and laughed harder, seeing Ash pout. "They're called Duraflame Logs." She corrected. "They provide a fire that burns for several hours. Is that what you're talking about?"

"Yeah...those." He pouted, sticking his tongue out at Leaf. "But we should get some of those. Mt. Moon can get pretty cold." He nodded. "We should also get non-perishable foods, like canned foods and insta-stews. They'll be easier to carry than some of the fresher foods."

Leaf nodded. "Speaking of fresh foods, can you get the bread and apples out? I think this stew is almost done."

Ash nodded, getting the requested items, as well as some bowls and spoons. "Here." He smiled, handing the bowls to Leaf.

After serving their food, the two dug into their meal with fervor. They talked about possible training regimes they would do as they traveled up the mountain.

"I'm thinking I'm going to have Pidgeotto teach Spearow Steal Wing." He said after swallowing a mouthful of food. "It would be a good move for her to learn. After that, I'm going to see if they can learn Aerial Ace. While they're doing that, I'll probably work on some new moves for the others, as well. They need a little diversity."

Leaf nodded. "I'll probably do that, too. I can't wait to go into Mt. Moon, though. I want to try and capture a Clefairy. They're so cute!" She gushed.

Jigglypuff overheard her trainer, and puffed up in a pout.

Ash laughed, getting Leaf's attention. "I don't think Jigglypuff appreciates your comment."

Leaf looked at Jigglypuff, and laughed at her puffed up friend. "Oh, Jigglypuff! Don't worry. No one is as cute as you." She teased her pink Pokemon.

Jigglypuff nodded, forgiving her trainer for thinking otherwise.

Leaf smiled, stroking the top of the pink ball's head. "So, I've been thinking...do you guys want nicknames?" She asked, looking at Jigglypuff, though her question was directed at all her Pokemon.

Her Pokemon looked at her, confused by the sudden question.

"I know it's kind of late in asking, but...do any of you want one?" Leaf asked again, she asked, looking up at her other Pokemon.

She saw Bulbasaur shrug and go back to his food, figuring he was okay without one. Beedrill contemplated, but also turned back to his food.

However, her Pikachu approached with a smile. Leaf looked down and saw Jigglypuff nod, as well.

"Okay, I'll start with you, Pikachu." She beamed. "How about Elektra?"

Pikachu shook her head, not caring for the name.

"Okay, how about Storm? No? Jupiter? Chi Chi?" She listed names, hoping to see a reaction from the yellow mouse.

Pikachu's ears perked up, and she smiled at her trainer.

"Chi Chi? Okay. Chi Chi it is." Leaf smiled. "Now for you, Jigglypuff. You remind me of a popular singer from a famous band."

Jigglypuff blink, tilting her head to the side.

"She has long pink hair, and a beautiful voice. Her name is Luka." Leaf explained.

Jigglypuff gasped, smiling brightly. "Jiggly! Jigglypuff!"

"You like that, huh? Okay, I'll name you Luka." Leaf laughed.

Spearow hopped over to Ash, looking up at him expectantly.

"What?" He smirked down at the little bird. He saw the bird pout a little, making him laugh. "Okay, okay. You want a nickname, too?"

The bird nodded, a gleam in her eyes.

"Hmmm…" He thought, placing his forefinger and thumb on his chin. He looked up towards the sky, seeing the darkness and the brightest of the stars shining. "How about Aquila? It's supposed to be a constellation of a magnificent bird."

Spearow's eyes seemed to sparkle slightly, hearing the boy's explanation. "Spear Spearow!"

"Alright then." He chuckled, scratching behind the girl's wing joints. Ash looked towards the sky, seeing the sun had just set. "Well...we should get ready for bed, I guess. Why don't you get ready, and I'll wash the dishes." He suggested, standing up with a stretch.

Leaf nodded, placing Luka on the ground and going into her tent. She changed out of her travel clothes and into her pajamas. She came outside wearing her sweatpants and a tank top. "You almost done, Ash?"

Ash, who was scrubbing out the pot they used to make the stew, turned and looked at Leaf. His face flushed slightly. His eyes roamed Leaf's body for a moment, before quickly turning back to the pot. "Y-Yeah. I'm almost done."

Ash swallowed hard, willing himself to not turn around and look at the girl again. He had noticed she wasn't wearing a bra... He shook his head slightly, desperately trying to get the image out of his brain. He was fourteen...he was noticing things about girls, lately. While he was still retained a sense of his innocence, thanks to his mother, he wasn't stupid when it came to the opposite sex.

Pikachu looked at his trainer, confused. "Pikapi?"

"It's nothing, Pikachu." He smiled, a blush still present on his cheeks. He finished scrubbing the pot, and rinsed it off with a new bottle of water. He dried it, and put all the clean dishes in their respective packs. He kept his eyes averted from Leaf, walking towards his tent.

"I'm going to change and go to sleep. See you in the morning, Leaf." He said softly. He looked at his Pokemon, with a smile. "Who ever wants to sleep in my tent, go ahead and follow me."

Poliwag jumped up and waddled over to his trainer. Pikachu followed, as well. The flying types decided to stay out of the tent, preferring to sleep in the trees.

Leaf nodded. "Goodnight, Ash..." She blinked, staring at him with confusion. _'What's with him?'_ She shrugged, looking at her Pokemon. "Okay guys, I don't have a lot of room in my tent. Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Jigglypuff...you're with me. Beedrill...I think it's a little too cramped. Are you okay sleeping outside?"

Beedrill buzzed, flying next to Ash's Butterfree, settling in for the night.

The two teens wiggled into their sleeping bags in their separate tents, falling asleep rather quickly.

.

.

The next morning, Ash and Leaf got up early and had a quick breakfast. They got dressed, broke camp, and made their way up the mountain. They didn't talk much during the hike, walking in comfortable silence. After a long trek up the mountain, Ash and Leaf finally made it to the Pokemon Center near the entrance to the mountain. It was nearly sunset, and both trainers and Pikachu looked exhausted. The climb up the mountain, and the trainers they faced along the way, were definitely tougher than they had expected.

Ash had lost two battles during his climb up the mountain. He was pretty proud of the fact that he hadn't lost a single trainer battle so far, unless you counted the tie with Gary in Viridian City a loss. But those two battles were a humbling experience; you couldn't win them all.

Ash and Leaf stepped into the Pokemon Center, making a bee-line to the Nurse Joy at the front counter.

"Hello, and welcome to Route 3's Pokemon Center. How can I help you?" The Joy behind the desk smiled.

Ash smiled, unclipping his Pokeballs from his belt. "Hey, Nurse Joy. Can you heal our Pokemon?" He asked, politely.

"Of course. Place your balls on the tray, and I'll take them to the back." She nodded, pulling two pokeball carrying trays from below the counter.

"Also," Leaf started, placing her Pokeballs on a tray. "Can we have a room for the night? We're not going to be going through the mountain until tomorrow."

Joy nodded, rummaging through a drawer under the desk. "Here you are." She smiled, handing Leaf a room key. "Alright, just give me your names, and I'll call you when your Pokemon are ready."

The two trainers left their names with the Nurse, as she put the trays on a gurney.

"Go with her, Pikachu. You need a check up, too." He smiled, rubbing the top of the mouse's head.

Pikachu gave a happy reply, jumping off of Ash's shoulder and onto Joy's. He waved goodbye to his trainer and his friend.

Ash and Leaf walked to the lodging quarters, where they quickly found their room. Ash and Leaf walked into the room, and set their packs down. Ash flopped down against his bed, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Oh bed...I love you, bed." He smiled, snuggling further into the plush pillow.

Leaf chuckled. "I'm going to take a shower." She said, disappearing into the bathroom.

Ash hoped Leaf would finish her shower quick; he wanted one too, but it looked like she would be in there a while.

He laid back on his bed, opening up his Pokedex. He began reading information on all the Pokemon that he and Leaf could possibly encounter in the large mountain. The one that most interested him, like many other trainers, was the especially rare Clefairy.

Clefairy used to solely be a normal type in the Kanto Region. That was until new typing had been discovered in the Kalos Region. The Clefairy in Kalos had a gene that coincided with the Fairy Type. When the scientific community discovered the mutation, they began their research on the Clefairy not only in Kanto, but in all the other regions as well. All the clefairy had shown the same gene, and Clefairy was reclassified as a Fairy Type.

Ash wasn't particularly determined to capture one, considering that many people spent years looking for the little fairy. But that wouldn't stop him from capturing one if any crossed his path. He continued to play with his Pokedex, looking up moves that he could teach his Pokemon, and if there were any other possible encounters in Mt. Moon.

Ash was so engrossed in his Pokedex, he didn't hear the shower turn off. He turned towards the bathroom when he heard the door open.

Leaf stepped out, in a clean change of clothes, towel drying her hair.

"Shower's free." She smiled, feeling rejuvenated.

Ash sat up, closing his Pokedex. "Took you long enough." He teased, walking into the bathroom.

"My clothes are in the washing machine. You can put yours in when they're done." Leaf called.

Ashed shouted his acknowledgment, turning the shower back on. He stepped into the warm spray, sighing in content. He quickly cleaned himself up, not wanting to be in there too long. He dried himself off and changed into his new set of clean clothes. He would have to remind himself to put his dirty clothes in the washer when Leaf's clothes were done.

Walking into the bedroom, Ash saw Leaf resting on her bed.

"Wanna grab some food? I'm starving." he smirked, finishing drying his hair.

Leaf nodded, sitting up in bed. "Oh Arceus, yes! I'm so hungry! I feel like I haven't eaten-"

" _Will Leaf Green and Ash Ketchum please report to the front desk? Your Pokemon are ready for pick up."_

"Well...I guess we better pick up our Pokemon first, then go eat." Leaf chuckled.

The two trainers walked up to the front desk, picking up their Pokemon.

Joy handed the trainers their trays of Pokeballs, smiling at them. "Here you are. Your Pokemon are all perfectly healthy."

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried, leaping onto Ash's shoulder, nuzzling his trainer's face.

"Hello to you, too." He laughed, rubbing Pikachu's head. "You hungry, buddy?"

"Chaa!"

"Awesome. We're going to-"

"Excuse me children, but may I ask for a few minutes of your time?" The two teens turned, seeing an elderly gentleman behind them. He had gray hair, and wore a brown suit with a white button shirt, and black dress shoes.

Ash blinked, staring at the man. "Why?"

"I'm with the international police." The man said, pulling out his badge and identification. "I'm investigating some criminal activity that has been going on in Mt. Moon. It appears thieves are entering the mountain to dig up fossils, and steal precious Moonstones." He explained. "Have you seen anyone suspicious around here lately?"

The two teens shook their heads. "We've only arrived here a few hours ago. Sorry." Leaf apologized.

The man nodded. "I see. Thank you for your time. Here's my card, call me if you see anything suspicious." The man said with a nod, walking out of the Pokemon Center.

Ash pocketed the card, and he and Leaf went to the cafeteria to eat, releasing their Pokemon so they could eat as well.

"Do you think we'll run into those thieves in Mt. Moon?" Leaf asked, taking a bite of her dinner.

"I don't know, but we need to be vigilant. If we do, there is a possibility they could be stronger than us." Ash said, poking at his dinner. He looked at the Pokemon, who were all gathered on the floor, eating their own dinner. His eyes lingered over Leaf's Pokemon, then rested on his own.

"Ash?"

"Huh? Sorry. We just need to be prepared for anything, okay?" He nodded, flashing her a smile.

Leaf nodded slowly, seeing the serious look on the boy's face. The two finished dinner in relative silence.

After dinner, the two teens retired to their bedroom, where they hung out with their Pokemon before going to sleep.

.

.

"Alright...Mt. Moon." Ash said, staring at the entrance to the cave.

"Pikachu." Pikachu said quietly, looking at the dark entrance as well. The yellow mouse cooed as Ash scratched under his chin.

"It won't be that bad, guys. Stay positive. We might even find a Clefairy!" She gushed, excited at the thought. "Do you think we'll make it through the cave today? I don't want to do a lot of exploring if there are thieves in there." Leaf shivered.

Ash nodded. "I think we should just go straight through. It'd be unsafe to try and explore with thieves lurking around. Kinda wish we didn't get all those supplies, though." He sighed, his shoulders slumping a little bit.

Leaf chuckled. "They'll come in handy once we're out of the cave. It's still a day's journey to Cerulean City once we get out."

Ash nodded. "That's true. Come on, let's go."

Once inside the cave, the teens were met with some rather surprising sights. There were rather bright lights strung up along the walls of the cave, and Pokemon were running around, trying to escape the bright lights. They watched Zubat fly about, hissing and screeching in pain, Geodude lying along the path, looking lethargic. The only Pokemon that looked relatively okay were the Paras. Paras lived in both caves and fields, so light didn't bother them too much.

"Who could have done something like this?" Leaf asked, looking at the poor Pokemon. She went over and knelt down next to a Geodude, who was too weak to protest. She gently laid a hand on it's rocky skull. "This geodude is too warm. This light is causing them to overheat." She frowned.

Ash nodded. "Pikachu. Use thundershock on these lights to short circuit them!"

Pikachu nodded, jumping off of the boy's shoulder. He fired his attack with a soft cry, the bolt of electricity hitting the wiring. The bulbs flashed violently for a few moments, causing the light bulbs to explode.

The cave became noticeably darker, but lights could be still seen further in the cave. Ash turned to Leaf with a frown.

"Those thieves that man was talking about must be responsible for this. They would need light if they were trying to steal something." Ash said firmly. "Come on. We need to get these lights out."

Leaf nodded, pulling out one of her pokeballs. She tossed the Pokeball up, releasing her Pikachu.

"Pika!" She cried happily.

"Hey, Chi Chi. We need your help, okay?" Leaf instructed.

The two Pikachu's turned to each other, nodding.

Ash looked at Leaf with a nod, as well. "Let's go."

The two teens and their Pikachu ran further into the cave. As they ran, the Pikachu would shoot their electricity at the lights, causing them to short out or the bulbs to burst.

They ran along for a small portion of the cave, seeing a ladder going down a cut out of the cave.

"What do you think is down there?" Leaf asked, staring down the ladder. They could see the bottom, where it was lit up.

"I don't know. All I know is there are more lights down there, and we need to get rid of them. Let me and Pikachu go first, and if it's safe, then you can come down." Ash instructed. Ash held out his hand for Pikachu to climb up, and grabbed the ladder. He slowly went down the ladder, until he reached the bottom.

Once his feet were firmly on the ground, he looked around him, his eyes wide. Inside the room, there were several different kinds of tools: shovels, pick axes, drills, jack hammers, and buckets of all different sizes were littered all around the room. In the far corner, Ash saw a large steel cage of Pokemon huddled together, looking lethargic.

"Leaf get down here!" Ash called out, rushing over to the steel cage.

Leaf jumped in surprise when Ash called out. She had Chi Chi jump onto her shoulders, climbing down the stairs. Once at the bottom as well, she saw all the tools and Pokemon, gasping.

"What's going on here?!" She gasped, running over to Ash.

Ash was fiddling with the lock on the steel cage. "I don't know. But we've got to get these Pokemon out!" Ash pulled out Pidgeotto's Pokeball, releasing him. "Pidgeotto, use Steel Wing on the cage! We need to free these Pokemon."

Pidgeotto nodded and kicked up off the ground. His wings hardened up, glowing a shiny silver. He dove at the cage, crashing into it. He repeated this multiple times until one of the walls of the cage caved in on itself.

Ash and Leaf pulled out potions, spraying each individual Pokemon.

The Pokemon perked up, looking grateful for the care. After their care, the Pokemon all scurried out of the room, trying to escape the bright lights and the trauma they had endured.

One Pokemon stayed behind, a small, battered Paras. Ash crawled towards it, placing a gentle hand on the Pokemon's head.

"P-Par-ras…." It whined.

"It's okay...don't worry. We'll get you healed up." Ash said softly. He sprayed the Paras with the potion. He could see results almost instantly, but Paras still looked in pretty bad shape. He frowned, looking up at Leaf. "I can't just leave it here." He pulled out a Pokeball, looking at the Paras. "Listen, Paras. I'm going to capture you, okay? That way I can get you to a Pokemon Center to get better."

Paras gave a soft whine, nodding slowly. It felt itself be pulled into the Pokeball after Ash tapped it with the sphere.

After a few moments, the ball clicked. Ash shrunk the ball, clipping to his belt as he stood. "Come on, let's go."

Leaf and Ash climbed back up the stairs, running further into the cave, destroying lights as they looked for the culprits.

The two trainers ran until they reached the heart of the mountain, a large open room where an enormous rock was up on some sort of stone pedestal. The roof of the cave was open, and the moon shining down on the large rock.

Ash and Leaf stayed hidden, looking around the corner of a stone wall. They saw the large stone in the center of the room, covered with ropes and chains. There were men attempting to push and pull the rock onto the back of a large pad. Around them, other men and women were using shovels and pick axes to dig around the rock. Different Pokemon were gathered around the workers.

"What do you think they're doing?" Leaf whispered.

"I dunno. But it must be impor-" Ash's eyes widened seeing one of the men's shirt. "Crap...this is bad."

"What?" Leaf asked, obvious fear in her eyes.

"Team Rocket." He whispered with a growl. Hearing Leaf gasp, he moved his hand over her mouth, seeing a Raticate look towards their direction. He pushed them back a little bit, still peering around the bend to see if the Raticate was coming after them.

The Raticate sat there, sniffing the air with a twitching ear. Ash held his breath. The Raticate turned away, walking back towards its trainer. Ash slowly and quietly released his breath, looking towards Leaf. He pulled out his Pokegear and the policeman's card, handing it to Leaf.

"Call that detective. Tell them Team Rocket's here." He whispered.

Leaf nodded, looking nervous. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see if I can get a look around. They might have other Pokemon locked up." He said, gently lifting Pikachu off his shoulder, setting him next to Chi Chi. "Pikachu, stay with Leaf and make sure she's safe." Seeing Pikachu nod, he snuck around the bend.

"A-Ash wait-" Leaf tried to say, but it was too late. She sighed, opening up the Pokegear to call the detective.

Ash crept along the walls, trying to stay as much in the shadows as he could. He managed to bypass most of the rockets, coming to a small part of the cave where he saw more caged Pokemon. He gasped seeing a large steel cage full of Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable. They were all resting against each other in the center of cage, burn marks, scratches, and bruises all marred their slick pink bodies.

Ash quickly, but quietly walked up to the cage, kneeling in front of it. One Clefable, who had many burns and bruises, stood on shaky legs, glaring at Ash.

"It's okay, Clefable. I'm here to help you." He whispered with a smile. He looked behind him to make sure no one was approaching the cage.

"F-Fable…?" It said with a hushed tone. "Cle Clefable…" All the Pokemon stared at Ash, relief and hope in their eyes.

"It's okay, don't worry. I'm going to get you out of this cage, alright?" Ash stood up, and reached for the bars.

"Fable!" Clefable cried, but its cry was in vain.

Ash grabbed the cage bars, electricity coursing through him. Ash screamed in pain as his whole body seized.

When he finally released the bars, his body fell over, twitching.

"Well well well, it seems we have a hero." A feminine voice rang out over the downed boy.

Ash could see through half-lidded eyes a woman with long crimson hair, and blue eyes. She wore a white long sleeve, crop top shirt with a large "R" on the front, and a white miniskirt to match. She also wore black gloves that ran up to her forearm, and thigh high black boots.

"It appears so, Jessie. And you know what we do to heros." A cocky, masculine voice echoed.

The man had shoulder length, rich lavender hair with green eyes. He was wearing a uniform similar to the woman's, a white longsleeved shirt with a large, red "R" on the front, with white pants. He also wore black gloves that reached his forearm and black boots that reached mid-shin.

"I do indeed, James." Jessie smirked, kneeling down by Ash's head. She chuckled, seeing his eyes close. "Oh look, James. The delicate baby passed out."

"What's going on here?" Came a sinister, cold voice.

A man with neon green hair, and seafoam green eyes approached Jessie and James. He wore a similar uniform to James, only in black. His hair was slicked back, almost coming to a point at the back of his head, and a black Gatsby hat covered his head.

"Proton, Sir." Jessie said, standing at attention. "We found this boy trying to rescue the Pokemon. Though he got the shock of his life when he grabbed the cage." She chuckled.

"He's unconscious, Sir." James added.

Proton walked over, nudging the boy's face with his boot. "Do we know who he is?"

"No, Sir." James answered. "He must be a trainer trying to get through the mountain."

"I see. Put him with the others. And take his Pokemon. He won't be needing them anymore." Proton's smirk grew dark.

Jessie and James nodded, dragging Ash towards a large tent that was on the opposite end of the room.

.

.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu whispered in fear, seeing Ash being dragged away.

"Oh no…" Leaf gasped. She turned to the Pikachu, nervously. "What do we do?" She whispered.

"Pika Pi Pikachu Pi Pikapi." Pikachu announced, looking at Leaf with determination.

"Pika! Pika Pi Pikachu!" Chi Chi replied.

Leaf looked around the corner, taking a deep breath. "Alright...we'll go rescue Ash. Stay close, and be very quiet." She instructed. Seeing the Pikachu nod, she slowly crept around the wall, imitating what Ash did when he snuck around.

.

.

Ash groaned, his eyes fluttering open. He blinked a few times, trying to move, but finding himself restricted. His hands were cuffed behind him, with a chain locked to a post. He frowned, yanking on the chain trying to get free, but to no avail.

"Hey, you're awake!" A girl cried.

Ash turned to his left, seeing four other people chained up like he was. "Yeah...where am I? What happened?"

"You were brought in by some Rockets. You were unconscious when they brought you in." The same girl said. Ash took in her appearance; she had long white hair that was pulled back into a French braid and violet eyes. She had on black pants, a white top, and a pink leather jacket.

"I remember…I was trying to free the Clefairy, Cleffa, and Clefable when the cage electrocuted me…" Ash said softly.

"The shocks must've made you pass out." One boy said. He had messy black hair with his bangs covering his forehead, and blue eyes. He was wearing a white hoodie with blue jeans. "So yeah, welcome to the chained life my friend."

The boy gave Ash a sympathetic smile. "I'm Evan, by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Ash." He smiled.

"I'm Kat. I would say it's nice to meet you if we were in better circumstances." She chuckled.

"No kidding." He chuckled. "What a way to make new friends, right?" Ash's eyes widened in realization. "Leaf!"

"Maple!" Evan yelled.

Ash and Kat looked at the other boy with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry, are we not calling out random types of leaves?" Evan asked.

Ash rolled his eyes. "No, Leaf is my friend. She was with me when we came into Mt. Moon." He smiled. "She's still out there."

"So what you're saying is...we might be rescued?" Kat asked, her eyes shining with hope.

Ash nodded with a smile. "Before we separated, I told her to call the police. Hopefully they'll be here soon."

"Pika Pi?" Came Pikachu's soft whisper.

"Pikachu?" Ash gasped. "Pikachu! What are you doing here?"

"Pika Pikachu Pi Pika." Pikachu whispered with a smile, pointing to the entrance of the tent.

Ash looked up, seeing Leaf entering the tent. "Leaf!" He cried happily.

Leaf smiled, walking over to Ash. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked, kneeling in front of the boy. "Are all of you okay?" She asked again, looking at the other trainers.

"I'm alright, now that you're here." Evan said, giving Leaf a dazzling smile.

Everyone turned to Evan, raising their eyebrows at him.

"Really, dude? Now is SO not the time." Kat reprimanded.

Evan chuckled. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."

Ash shook his head. "Can you get us out of here, Leaf?" He asked, looking up at the girl.

Leaf smirked, pulling out a small ring of keys. "Bulbasaur took some rockets out with Sleep Powder." She boasted, kneeling down behind Ash and unlocking his handcuffs.

After everyone was freed, they stood up and began talking.

"Leaf, did you see where they are keeping our Pokemon?" Ash asked, feeling Pikachu run up to his shoulder.

Leaf shook her head. "No, sorry. But I did call the police. The Pewter City Police Department are on their way. They should be here soon."

"So then...what do we do until then?" Kat asked,feeling Leaf unlocking her cuffs.

"I say we try and get our Pokemon back." Evan said confidently.

"I agree, but we need a plan. There are too many Rockets around." Kat frowned.

Ash stood up a little straighter, one hand on Pikachu's head. "Listen, I still have Pikachu, and Leaf has her Pokemon. We're going to try and find our Pokemon."

"It's the only way, Leaf. We can try to put them all to sleep, like you did earlier." He explained. "Speaking of which, we should probably bring them in here and tie them up. You guys should try and get to safety until we get the Pokemon back."

Evan and Kat nodded, walking out and grabbing the two sleeping grunts, and handcuffed them to the posts.

"Okay Leaf, let's go get our Pokemon." Ash said.

Leaf sighed, calling out Bulbasaur. "Alright...let's go."

Ash smiled, turning to Kat and Evan. "Gag them, and make sure they don't go anywhere."

Kat and Evan nodded, doing as they were told as Ash and Leaf left the safety of the tent.

Ash and Leaf slowly crept along the cave walls, trying to sneak into a different tent. As they crept along a wall, Pikachu's ears twitched. Pikachu tapped Ash's shoulder, pointing towards his right.

Ash blinked, turning to his right. It was the two grunts he saw before he passed out earlier. "Oh no…"

"Huh?" Jessie hummed, turning to her left. "Ah! It's that brat from earlier!" She exclaimed. She grabbed a Pokeball from her belt, throwing it in the air. "Ekans!"

"Koffing, go!" James called, throwing his own Pokeball.

"Pikachu, go!" Ash exclaimed, pointing towards Jessie and James.

"Go, Chi Chi!" Leaf cried out.

The two Pikachus lept off their trainer's shoulders, taking their battle positions.

"Koffing! Use Sludge!" James commanded.

"Ekans, use Poison Sting!"

"Pikachu! Dodge and use Thundershock!" Ash yelled out.

"You too, Chi Chi!"

The two yellow rodents dodged the onslaught of poison, firing off electricity at their opponents with a shout of their names. The electricity flew through the air, connecting with the opposing Pokemon.

The Ekans and Koffing cried out in pain. Once the attack ended, but poison types glared at the two Pikachus.

"Ekans! Use Acid!"

"Koffing, Smog attack!"

"Pikachu! Use Charge!" Ash yelled out.

Pikachu stared down the two poison types, electricity enveloping his body.

"Chi Chi! Cover Pikachu and use Thundershock, again!" Leaf shouted, her arm extending out towards the enemy Pokemon.

Chi Chi jumped in front of Pikachu, firing off a Thundershock at the Smog. The electricity hit the combustible toxins, causing an explosion in the middle of the battlefield.

As the smoke lingered, Ekans shot through the black cloud, using Wrap on Pikachu.

"Ah! Pikachu!" Ash cried out, seeing his partner being squeezed by the purple snake. "Hurry, and use Thundershock!"

Pikachu wheezed out his name, the electricity emerging from his body and surrounding his captor. The Ekans' scream echoed through the cave, slumping to the ground in a heap. The snake's body unconstricted, and Pikachu jumped out from its grasp.

"Yeah! Way to go Pikachu!" Ash cheered.

"You damn brat!" Jessie growled, her teeth clenched. She recalled her Ekans, turning to James. "Hurry up and finish them!"

James nodded. "Koffing! Use-" The man was cut off, hearing yelling and explosions behind him. "What's going on?"

Leaf smiled. "That must be the police!"

Jessie and James turned to the children, glaring at them. Before James could call out an attack for his Pokemon, a cold and merciless voice spoke.

"You imbeciles!" Proton growled. "Leave these brats, and try and save whatever loot you can."

"Proton, Sir." Jessie and James stood up straight, running to the nearest bounty of fossils and moon stones.

"How pathetic, being beaten by two rookie trainers." The green-haired man said, his eyes focused on Ash and Leaf.

"Ash….this guy's tough. We should get the police." Leaf said, grabbing a hold of Chi Chi's Pokeball.

"You're not going anywhere, girlie." Proton chuckled, the sound sending chills down the children's spines. He tossed a Pokeball out on the field, the light revealing a strong looking Weezing.

Ash frowned, standing in front of Leaf. "Your opponent is me." His eyes remained firmly on Proton, his fists clenched at his sides. "Leaf, go and find Officer Jenny. I'll take care of this."

"But Ash-" She wanted to fight him on the issue, but there was a look in the boy's eyes that left no room for arguments. She hesitantly returned her Pikachu, taking off to find Officer Jenny.

"You're not going anywhere, Missy." Proton smirked. " Go Weezing. Selfdestruct."

"Leaf! Look out!" Ash yelled, running after her.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu yelled, running after his trainer.

Leaf turned, seeing Weezing behind her, energy building up inside the Pokemon. She stared at the brightly glowing Pokemon, paralyzed with fear.

"Leaf!" Ash yelled again, barely making it in time to push the frozen girl away from the initial blast.

Leaf fell to the floor, covering her head as the explosion went off behind her. After the blast went off, she turned seeing the Weezing on the ground, unconscious. Turning towards a wall of the cave, she saw two figures.

"Ash! Pikachu!" She scrambled to her feet, running over to them. Her eyes scanned over them, taking in every injury on their bodies.

"You're lucky, girlie. If it wasn't for your boyfriend, you'd be dead." Proton gave her a predatory smirk, recalling his fainted Weezing. "Be grateful the police are here, or else I'd make you my personal plaything." With a dark chuckle, he turned, disappearing into the shadows.

Leaf turned to Ash and Pikachu, tears freely falling down her cheeks. "A-Ash..please wake up. Wake up. Wake up!" She pleaded, continuing to scream at the boy.

She felt an arm on her shoulder as she continued to cry. With blurry eyes, she saw police officers and EMT's surrounding them. Looking behind her, she saw Officer Jenny holding onto her shoulders. With a sob, she stood and hugged the female officer, crying into her chest as Ash and Pikachu were whisked away.

 **~End Chapter**

 **What did you guys think? Sorry it took so long for me to put this chapter out. I was hit with a major road block and it took me forever to finish it. I'm sorry. Please review and leave me comments on anything you would like to see in future chapters.**


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